Stalking Follies
by tmntyyh
Summary: Cid just wanted to find out more about the silent man that stalked the halls of the Highwind. It was not his fault that the vampire would not give up the information willingly... Warnings are inside.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Stalking Follies

Summary: Cid just wanted to find out more about the silent man that stalked the halls of the Highwind. It was not his fault that the vampire would not give up the information willingly...

Warnings: Drinking, smoking, swearing, eventaul yaoi, etc...

Disclaimer: ...I die a little every time I have to say this: I do not own them.

* * *

><p>"Drink yer damn tea!" the man snarled as he pushed a dainty-looking teacup across the table at the brunette who was staring at him eerily over the top of his cloak with crimson eyes. Without saying a word, the gunslinger slowly pushed the white cup back with one clawed fingertip. Once the tea was directly in front of the pilot, the brunette man retracted his hand before crossing his hands over his lap. The pilot's eye began to twitch as he pushed the teacup back towards the taciturn man. "Ya can fuckin' speak, ya damn mute! That fraidy-cat Barret told me ya gave some huge spiel to them fuckers when they pulled you out of some fuckin' coffin! So fuckin' talk to me, dammit!"<p>

As the silence grew thicker in the room, Cid grinded his teeth together. He could out-silence the skinny bastard right? Sure he could! He was Cid-fucking-Highwind! Crossing his arms in front of his chest, he glared at the unwavering man who calmly stared back at him. The fucker even had the audacity to look unashamed as he stared back! His blue eyes narrowed as he watched the brunette noiselessly push the cup of tea back to his side of the table with a golden finger. There was definitely something off with the man, the pilot had decided as he stormed away from the table, nearly knocking over the chair that he was sitting on.

He could have sworn that he saw the brunette talking to Cloud not even a day ago; they sat together and spoke in hushed tones and went quiet when he walked by. Fuck, they were talking about him, were they not? This was his goddamn ship and he was not going to be treated like some outsider just because he was new in the goddamn group!

Unlocking the door to his room, he walked inside before sitting down on his large bed and lying back to rest his head on the pillow. Closing his eyes, he slowly began to relax, tense muscles loosening as he breathed slowly. The women loved to gab day-in and day-out, Cait Sith would not shut up if you paid him, Barret grumbled about the planet, Nanaki usually spoke about ancient folklore, Cloud just shrugged like there could not possibly be a single thought rambling around in his empty head, and Vincent...Vincent did not say a single word. No "hello," no grunts, no girl-talk, no rambling; nothing. Not a damn word.

It was not that he wanted to hear the man speak... Fuck that, he wanted to hear the fucking man speak. Did he have a girly voice; sounding like he was forever kicked in the balls? Horrible accent? Did the fucker even speak English? He heard the ninja-brat rambling rapidly earlier when she was scolded for pilfering Tifa's materia. No way in hell was that shit English! ...Maybe the spiky-haired kid picked them both up together? Fuck, were they married? It would explain why she stuck to the poor fucker like...well, like the way Tifa stuck to Cloud!

He was sure that cornering the brunette man alone could work in his favor, but damn if the little ninja did not get in his way whenever he managed to find the elusive man. He gave them each there own rooms, but did the fucker use it? No! Ungrateful bastard loomed around the galley, scaring the shit out of the night crew and hanging around the railing of the deck like he was debating whether or not it would be a good time to finally buy it by jumping off of a moving aircraft.

Reaching up, the pilot pulled off his goggles before kicking off his boots and tossing off his gloves. There had to be a way to get the monotonous male to open up and let someone in. Hell, he would settle for letting the ninja in if it meant the leather-wearing vampire would speak up and stop looking so depressed!

But how?

How would he get a man that he knew nothing about to not only to speak to him, but to open up about who he is; hopes, dreams, likes, enemies, friends...

He refused to believe that the somber wing nut was woken up from a coffin!

But, there would only be one way to get the information from an unwilling person, the blonde thought as he grinned to himself. He would find out the vampire's deepest darkest secrets without the brunette even knowing how it was happening.

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	2. Chapter 2

Title: Stalking Follies

Summary: Cid just wanted to find out more about the silent man that stalked the halls of the Highwind. It was not his fault that the vampire would not give up the information willingly...

Warnings: Drinking, smoking, swearing, eventual yaoi, etc...

Disclaimer: ...I die a little every time I have to say this: I do not own them.

* * *

><p>Blue eyes snapped open at the sound of loud knocking on his door. Damn, when had he fallen asleep? Scrambling out of the bed, the pilot walked over to the door while rubbing at his eyes. Slamming open the door, the pilot glared at the sight of Cloud "Fuck do ya want, Spike?"<p>

"...Are you ready to go?" the leader of Avalanche asked as he looked the blonde up and down. "We're going to Wutai today; Yuffie says she has something she wants to so us there."

"Yeah, jus' don't go trustin' her when it come to levers or we'll end up back in that fuckin' cage again!" the blonde sneered before walking back into his room. "Let me shower really quick an' we'll get goin'." Ignoring the other blonde, Cid began to fully strip as he walked toward his personal shower. Once fully naked, he stepped into the shower and turned on the water, steam filling the air as he quickly bathed while humming a soft country tune, Turning off the water once completely clean, he slid open the foggy glass down and jumped when he came face-to-face to Vincent, who was staring at him on the other side of the glass.

Clutching his hand to his chest as he jumped in surprise, the pilot quickly swung his fist at the brunette, hitting him solidly in the shoulder. "What are ya tryin' to do? Scare the shit out of me?" he snapped before pushing the brunette out of the way and grabbing a towel. Wrapping it around his waist, the pilot walked out of his bathroom before walking over to his closet and pulling out the cleanest items he could find, making sure the grease stains were minimal before pulling them on and looking at the brunette that had followed him from the bathroom back into the bedroom.

"What?" he snapped before pulling on his gloves and goggles, blue eyes narrowing as he looked at the brunette man who calmly stared back. It was creepy the way that the tall man stood there, posture daunting as he stared blankly at him. He could not see any emotion in the dark red eyes that bore deep into his soul. Fighting back a shiver, the blonde put on his goggles before looking at the somber gunner that continued to stare blankly at him. Hell, did he ever even blink? "Ya can tell Spike that I'll be at the helm in a couple of minutes!" the pilot snapped, feeling on edge at being put in the spotlight from the taller man.

Nodding, the gunner turned away before walking as silently out of the room as he could, metal-sheathed boots clacking against the cold metal of the flooring as he treaded out of the room and left the pilot standing alone in his room. He sure was a creepy fucker, that was for sure. He never said a word when around the pilot, but apparently he was pretty damn chatty with the others. Bastard did not trust him, did he?

Making sure that he had everything he needed, and slipping an unlit cigarette between his lips, the pilot stepped out of his room before locking the door after him and making his way to the helm of the airship. He flipped off the members of Avalanche while he made his way to the controls before starting up the large mechanical device and steering it towards Wutai. As he looked out the large glass panes in front of him, the blonde felt a chill run down his spine as the hair on the back of his neck stood up. Biting down on the filter of his cigarette as he gripped the steering tighter, Cid tried not to think of the brunette man.

He was staring at him, he could feel it!

Grinding the filter between his teeth, Cid took long slow breaths to keep from turning around and confronting the silent man that seemed to be everywhere he looked recently. No, he needed to focus on how he could get the information from the gunner without his knowledge. He would have to be even more amazing than usual. Yeah... He could do that. He could not just ask the brunette questions because the fucker spoke to everyone else but him! He would have to watch him carefully; put his observational skills to use and trick the clueless bastard into revealing all of the cards that he held close to his chest. No problem. He could do that.

Nodding to himself, the blonde grinned triumphantly to himself before frowning at the rolling dark clouds that loomed in the distance. "Spike! We got to take a fuckin' detour!" he snapped before glancing over at the other blonde.

"...Why?" Cloud asked as he walked over to the pilot.

"'Cause of that!" Cid replied before pointing at the clouds and looking at the swordsman as if he were an idiot for even questioning. Seriously, did the little punk even see the storm that they were headed for or was he merely oblivious to everything except for Sephiroth?

"...Clouds? ...Can't we go under them?"

"Yeah, if ya want to fuckin' risk dyin'! Dumbass..."

"...Can we go over them?"

"We can either fuckin' go around 'em or land! Those are yer only options, Spike!" he snapped as he ground his teeth together, mashing the spongy filter between his teeth in irritation. Fuck, all of the people in the damn group were missing a few screws! And this one was to be the leader? Fuck, they were doomed!

"...Should we land?"

"...Do ya fuckin' want to?" the blonde pilot sneered slowly, biting out each word.

"...Sure," the swordsman said with a shrug before walking away from his and moving to stand next to that irritating ball of fluff and confetti that refused to shut the fuck up for two goddamn seconds. Easing his pride and joy back down, he landed the large aircraft just as the first few drops of rain began to patter against the glass panes. Turning off the device, he walked away from the controls, jumping when he came face to face with the gunner again. "Holy fuck! The fuck is yer goddamn problem?"

Not saying a word, the gunner leaned slightly closer as he stared at the blonde before holding up one finger and walking away from him quickly.

"...The fuck?" Cid muttered to himself as he watched the somber man practically flee the room. "I'm trapped with fuckin' crazies!"

"...I think he likes you, Cid," Cloud commented before walking away.

"Yeah, an' I'm fuckin' married to ShinRa!" the pilot snapped before walking out of the room and heading out to the deck, making himself comfortable by sitting by the railing, leg dangling over the edge as he looked up at the rumbling sky. Rain began to land on him as he sat there, watching as the sky opened up overhead and began to drench him in the chilly water. Letting the water seep into his wilting cigarette, the blonde pulled down his goggles to keep the water out of his eyes as he continued to look up at the weeping sky.

First, he would have to follow the gunner around as silently as he could; no sudden sounds or movements to spook the fucker or get himself shot. Or perhaps he could somehow get the man to see him as a goofy friend instead of a threat? Hmm, this could be tricky if not played correctly...

No, he would have to stalk the silent fucker.

Startling when he felt something hard tap on his shoulder, the blonde turned around as best as he could before glaring at the gunner who moved to sit beside him. Raising an eyebrow, Cid blinked in confusion when the brunette man suddenly held out his hand with a closed fist.

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**Sulhadane**: Aww, thanks! Indeed; good for all of those not involved! Thanks!

**Inuobsessed004**: Heh, he still is that person! Aww, thanks!

**ABNORMAL2110**: Heh, true! He'll need all the luck you can wish him!

**Dreadful Virtue**: Indeed! Vincent might not see it coming! (Very low chance of that.)

**Sir Shirkin**: Here you go.

**fetherhd**: Heh, he usually does that, no?

**Shiro No Kuro**: No problem! Aww, thanks!


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Stalking Follies

Summary: Cid just wanted to find out more about the silent man that stalked the halls of the Highwind. It was not his fault that the vampire would not give up the information willingly...

Warnings: Drinking, smoking, swearing, eventual yaoi, etc...

Disclaimer: ...I die a little every time I have to say this: I do not own them.

* * *

><p>He raised an eyebrow behind his goggles as he looked the brunette man in the eyes. Red eyes stared at him eerily before the gloved fist slowly opened up under the heavy rain, revealing a plastic wrapped carton of brand new cigarettes. A wide grin spread out across his face as he picked up the carton from Vincent's open hand. It was the exact brand that he smoked all of the time. "Never knew that ya smoked, Val," the pilot said with a grin, rolling his eyes at the blank look that he got in return. "Come on, ya lanky fucker; yer sittin' in a goddamn downpour with me an' handed me a brand new pack of fags. Ya can't fuckin' tell me that ya don't smoke!"<p>

Again, the eyes stared blankly at him before the elusive man rose to him feet and headed back inside of the airship, hair and cloak thoroughly drenched as he left the blonde to sit alone. Shrugging, the pilot looked down at the package. Perfectly sealed and brand new; he would have had to have bought it before they left Rocket Town. So, why did he give it to him? Did he buy it for himself and chicken out before actually smoking one of them or did he buy more than he needed and has more cartons hidden in his room? ...Under his cloak? ...Some-fucking-where!

Taking a deep breath, the pilot leaned back as he slid the wrapped carton into his pocket. He was lucky Vincent gave him the damn things; two more frustrated smoking sessions were all he could support before he completely ran out of tobacco to smoke. If the others thought he was a sight to see when pissed off, they have yet to see him pissed off without any cigarettes to calm his nerves. Sighing, he lied down on the wet paneling of the deck as he stared up at the stormy sky above his head, rain pattering against the glass of his goggles while he crossed his arms behind his head, making himself comfortable.

There was something severely off with that boy. Still had yet to make a goddamn sound near him and stared at him like he was expecting something big to happen. Hell, he was tempted to just run up to the fucker and grab him by his shoulders before shaking the fucker senseless while screaming for him to say any goddamn word, just talk, anything! But that would probably spook the helpless bastard away and while Cid was many things, he was not a heartless motherfucker, contrary to popular belief.

Puppies and kitties still pulled at his heartstrings and he would help anyone in need of help. He would swear the entire time, sure. But he would still fucking help!

Some part of the brunette man just stared at him like he needed help. But with what? How the fuck could he be expected to help when the fucker would not say a goddamn word? Huffing, the blonde grinned as lightening crackled ominously overhead, the rumble of thunder trembling through the ground and rattling the Highwind slightly. It shook enough to send a tremor through the blonde's body, making his cold, wet skin speckle with goose bumps.

He sighed as he rose to his feet before heading back inside of the Highwind, leaving a trail of wet footprints after him as he made his way to his room, stripping and tossing the wet clothes onto the floor. He ignored the squelch of the fabric as it hit the metal floor while he made his way into his bathroom, turning on the water as hot as he could before ducking under the water and warming up his cold body. Once thoroughly warmed and clean, the pilot stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist.

His feet slapped against the cold floor as he walked over to the dresser, pulling out a pair of dry boxers and sweatpants. After pulling them on, Cid began to dry his hair, not noticing that the wet clothes that he had deposited on the floor had vanished while he was in the shower. Tossing the towel in the direction of the shower, the blonde reached back into the dresser and pulled out a pair of white, fluffy socks.

No need to let the lurking motherfucker hear him coming, he reasoned as he slipped on the socks, grinning at his feet before he wiggled his toes. That, and his feet were cold. Running his fingers through his wet, mussed hair, the blonde looked towards the floor, wondering where his goggles went when he tossed them off of his head.

"Could have sworn them fuckers were here..." he muttered before pausing. "...The fuck happened to my clothes?" Snarling to himself, the blonde pilot began to frantically search around his room. Someone was in his room while he was showering. Growling, the blonde checked his entire floor before dropping to his knees and reaching to lift up his normally disheveled bedding. His bright blue eyes narrowed dangerously when he noticed that not only was the bedding not in the way, but it was neatly pulled around his bed and tucked underneath the mattress. So, the fucker that took his clothes was the same fucker that made his bed? Who the fuck goes into other peoples' rooms and tidies up after then?

...Someone with disturbing issues, that was for sure.

Grunting, the blonde peered under his bed and was not all that surprised to find that his clothes were not there.

"Swear to fuck that if this is some kind of prank, I'm gonna kill the fucker who did this," he growled before storming out of his room, pausing at the sight of his hamper. He was pretty sure that it was tossed in the corner haphazardly, not neatly placed in the corner... Flipping open the lid, the blonde blinked at the sight of his wet clothes folded neatly in the bottom of the hamper.

Folded...

Someone folded his clothes...

Someone touched his underwear to fold his clothes...

Someone folded his underwear...

Someone FOLDED his goddamn UNDERWEAR!

That someone was getting their ass handed to them!

Narrowing his eyes, the blonde stormed out of his room, his fluffy-sock covered feet making little sound as they hit the floor as he stalked out of his room. Who did he know who was enough of a freak to not only touch his unmentionables, but fold them? Turning the corner, the blonde did not notice the mysterious figure until it was too late. The figure moved out of the way before they could collide, red eyes staring blankly at the blonde.

"Heh, sorry, Val," he said before patting the brunette's arm. The gunner was looking mysteriously dry and did not feel as if he was sitting out in the rain with himself earlier. "Ya see anyone in my room?" As the prolonged silence grew all the more awkward, the blonde cursed before muttering, "'Course not. Night, Val!" he proceeded down the hallway, not caring the lanky man was staring at him still as he made his way to the kitchen. "Okay, who fuckin' did it?" he snapped as he stared at Aeris, Tifa, and Yuffie. All of the women looked up at him in confusion before pausing at his choice of attire.

Aeris blushed slightly as she eyed his damp, broad, and tan chest, "Who did what?"

Yuffie snickered at mere the sight of his fluffy socks, "Nice socks, Old Man! Step on any bunnies?"

Tifa rose an eyebrow at the frayed holes in his sweatpants, "Geez, do you ever wear anything that is not dirty or torn?"

"Not what I'm talkin' 'bout ya nitwits! Which one of ya went in my room?" he snapped darkly.

"Not me!" all three females chimed at the same time.

"Bullshit! My underpants sure as fuck didn't fold themselves!"

"Oh, eww!" Yuffie groaned before covering her ears. "Sick!"

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**Pale Meadow in the Moonlight**: Aww, you got the entire plot right there! Bravo/a! I'm very predictable, no?

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**Sir Shirkin**: Here's more! Enjoy.

**Inuobsessed004**: Heh, well, you got to give Cid some brownie points for creativity!

**-Unrequited Desires-**: Well, I can take no credit there.

**Roxy Catastrophe**: Here you go!


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Stalking Follies

Summary: Cid just wanted to find out more about the silent man that stalked the halls of the Highwind. It was not his fault that the vampire would not give up the information willingly...

Warnings: Drinking, smoking, swearing, eventual yaoi, etc...

Disclaimer: ...I die a little every time I have to say this: I do not own them.

* * *

><p>"Yer damn right it's sick!" Cid snapped as he pointed his finger accusingly at the three women in their group. "An' I want to know which one of ya was sick enough to do it!"<p>

"What makes you think it was one of us?" Aeris said with a shrug of her shoulders. "It could have easily been one of the boys!"

"Yeah!" Yuffie said as she pointed her finger at Cid in mocking accusation. "For all you know it was Barett!"

"It could have been Vincent," Tifa said as she looked at the blonde.

"No way!" Yuffie defended, "Vinny wouldn't even dare to touch the Old Man's crusty panties!"

"'Ey!" Cid snapped as his eye twitched slightly.

"Well, it sure wasn't Cloud," Tifa countered.

"Nanaki doesn't even have finger to fold boxers with," Aeris added.

"Vinny wouldn't do it! That's just sick! Cloud's the one with mental problems!"

"It could have been Barret," Tifa offered up. "Hey, Vincent has just as much baggage as Cloud, if not more!"

"Barret only has one hand," Aeris countered.

"You wish!" Yuffie said, jumping to the defense of the brunette gunner. "Cloud's got way more issues that Vinny!"

"Oh, he does not!" the martial artist argued.

"So it's not Barret or Vincent, seeing how he has limited use of his left hand," Aeris chimed in. "And I know it's not Cloud; it can't be Nanaki, so that leaves Cait Sith." Smiling as she solved the puzzle over the argument that the other two brunette women were engaged in.

"Uh, thanks," Cid said, waving at the flower girl before turning away and walking out of the room, unable to stop the chill that ran up his spine, covering his arms and chest in goose bumps and hardening his nipples, when he turned his back on the women. There was definitely something wrong with them; fucking broads were a mystery that was better left unsolved lest the world unravel and everyone die a horrible death. Speaking of horrible deaths, the blonde thought with a grin as Vincent walked down a hallway while lightning flashed in the background and thunder rumbled.

Hurrying after the inexplicable brunette, the pilot slid against the metal floor as he turned the sharp corner that the gunner did. Keeping a bit of a distance between them, the blonde trailed the gunner through the hallways, pausing when he noticed the gunner stop and breathe deeply, sounding as if he was sniffing at the air. Ducking around a corner, the blonde held his breath. Huh, maybe he was getting sick from sitting out in the rain earlier today? Just as he turned the corner to peek at the gunner, he came face-to-face with the cloak-wearing man in question. Jumping as he was startled, the pilot clapped his hand over his bare chest as his heart raced in his chest, the sound of his of blood pumping through his veins filled his ears before he smacked Vincent in the arm.

"Ya tryin' to give me a damn heart attack?" he snapped, glaring at the red eyes that stared at him unperturbedly. The brunette just continued to stare at him as he waited for an answer, the seconds ticking by and irritating the pilot even more. "Well? Are ya ever going to say a single fuckin' word to me?" Once more he was met with silence. "All right, would ya at least tell me why the fuck yer so against me? The fuck did I do to piss ya off? I know there's got to be somethin' 'cause ya sure as fuck are talkin' to every-fuckin'-one else on my goddamn ship but me! So will ya fuckin' say a goddamn word?"

"Um, Cid?" a voice spoke from behind the pilot, making him spin on his heels and come face to face with Cloud.

"What the fuck now?" he snapped, fingers twitching slightly. Gods, he really needed a cigarette about now.

"The lightning spooked the chocobo," the blonde said as though it were obvious and that the other blonde should be able to tell what he was talking about.

"So?"

"...So...it escaped..."

"...Escaped where, Spike? In the goddamn wild?" The silence was going to be the death of him. "...On my goddamn ship?" Blue eyes narrowed at the awkward silence that told him everything he needed to know. "...There's a two-thousand pound bird runnin' 'round on my airship?"

"...She doesn't weight that much..."

"Son of a bitch!" Looking back at Vincent, the blonde pointed his finger at the brunette, poking him in the chest. "This ain't fuckin' over, Val," he snapped before storming off towards the corral, trying to keep an ear out for any sounds of the bird. Once near the corral, the blonde sneered at the open gate and scattered material for the large bird. "I fuckin' hate chocobos," he growled before roaming the halls of the Highwind in an attempt to locate the missing fowl. After half an hour, and searching through every open room that he could, the pilot's patience was worn thin and his need for a cigarette had peaked. Giving up, the blonde stormed back to his room, throwing the door open before picking up his open carton of cigarettes and plucking out one of the two remaining smokes.

Slipping the cigarette between his lips, the pilot began to search his room for his lighter, grumbling until he grinned, finding a spare on the nightstand. Grabbing the black and red device, the blonde quickly lit his cigarette before sucking heavily on the filter and holding the smoke in his lungs. Breathing out slowly, Cid released the smoke through his nose before moving to lie down on his bed, taking another drag on the cigarette before tapping the ash out into a nearby ashtray. There was nothing like a good smoke to take away the frustrations in life. Lifting the lighter to his face, the blonde looked over the metal object before frowning slightly around his cigarette.

That was odd; he did not remember purchasing such an oddly colored lighter. Well, it was not that it was odd so much as it did not look like something he would purchase. Working on schematics and mechanics all day tended to mess up his eyes at the end of the day when he really needed a smoke to unwind, so Cid had taken to buying brightly colored lighters. Hell, when things seemed to blend together in a nonsensical heap, nothing stood out quiet like a neon blue, green, or yellow. This one, however, was a black shade that seemed to have dark red swirls mixed into it when it was held up to the light. It reminded him of Vincent. Hell, maybe it was Vincent's but someone else put it in his room thinking that he was the only smoker?

Yeah, that made sense.

Because there was no way that the gunner would have wandered over to his own room, folded his wet clothes, tidied up his room, and left his a lighter that he did not recall seeing earlier when he searched his room for his missing clothes. That would have meant that Vincent would have been into his room twice without him knowing and there was no fucking way in hell that happened. So, Cait Sith had gone into his room and cleaned it while he was in the shower and someone else, who obviously was not the brunette gunner, found a lighter lying around and assumed that it was his, so they later came into his room while he was off searching for some damn bird that was let loose in his airship.

Made total fucking sense.

Well, he better go return it to Vincent's room. Tapping the ash off of the end of his cigarette after taking a long drag, the blonde sat up before getting off of his bed and heading out of his room, walking down the silent halls to the room he remembered giving to the tall brunette. Knocking loudly on the closed door, the pilot blew out a mouthful of smoke as he waited. Seconds ticked by before he knocked even louder. Rolling his eyes at the lack of response that met him, the blonde swung open the door. "Ya in here, Val?" Peering into the dark room, the blonde frowned slightly. Huh, it looked pretty empty. But if it were, where the fuck was the man that was supposed to be sleeping in the damn room. What? Did he hate him so much that he refused to sleep in a goddamn room that was given to him by the pilot? Hell, the bed looked fucking untouched! Tossing the black and red lighter onto the soft mattress while grumbling a few choice curses, the pilot spun on his heel to exit the empty room and begin a new search; this one for the gunner, not a goddamn chocobo.

Turning around, and expecting to be met with the light that filtered into the room from the open door, Cid was unpleasantly surprised when he was met with black leather, silver buckles, and the thick, red fabric that made up the outfit that Vincent was always seen wearing. "Son of a fuck!" the pilot snapped before punching the gunner in the arm. "Do I have to buy ya a fuckin' bell to wear at all fuckin' times? Goddamn!" Trying to calm his breathing down and focus on the nicotine and flavor of the cigarette that he was still smoking, the blonde glared at the brunette that just stared at him evenly. "Still got nothin' to say?" Getting nothing back in response, the pilot huffed before jerking a bare thumb at the bed. "Someone fuckin' thought that yer lighter was mine. So, smoke away in peace now."

The brunette did not even move as he continued to stare blankly at the blonde. Something was unnerving him about the gunner; all he did was stare at him and damn well did not offer up any information when pressed! Rolling his eyes, the pilot moved to walk around the brunette and head out the door, stopping when he felt a gloved finger tap his unclothed shoulder. Turning around against his better judgment, the pilot locked eyes with the crimson-eyed brunette, blinking in confusion when the man walked over to his closet in the dark corner of the room. Blue eyes watched in curious fascination as the brunette slipped into the closet and vanished from slight, the sound of him shuffling about and moving items filling the silence.

"...Ya get lost back there?" Cid asked awkwardly before the gunner stepped back out with a small, unmarked box in his hand. "Eh? ...Ya got a box?" The gunner stepped closer to the pilot before opening it and allowing the blonde man to peer deep inside of it, a large grin spreading across the pilot's face. "Well I'll be damned!" Looking up at the gunner, the pilot sucked on the filter of his cigarette before blowing out a mouthful of smoke to the side, making sure not to blow it directly into the gunner's face. "Now, where the fuck did ya get all of that? 'Cause I ain't seen hoardin' like that since the fuckin' Wutai war an' I sure as fuck didn't notice ya runnin' off when we were all hittin' Rocket Towns shops fer supplies!" Picking up one of the bottles, the blonde looked it over before whistling. "Damn, this shit is older than I am! Yer gonna enjoy drinkin' this; well, ya are going to fuckin' drink it right? Don't show the fuckin' rest of them wing nuts or they might try to pressure ya into selling it fer a handful of gil! Ya need ta pop open a bottle when yer feelin' stressed out an' jus' get blitzed. Can ya do that?"

The gunner nodded slightly, astonishing Cid, before he pointed to the bed.

"I know ya can fuckin' speak, Val. That's a goddamn bed. Say it. BED!" Getting an incredulous stare in return, the blonde rolled his eyes. "Swear I'm fuckin' talkin' to a bar of chocolate..."

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Thanks for reviewing:

**JiLLiBeanz**: Aww, thanks! Wait no more. ...And then a little more.

**Inuobsessed004**: Heh, not in his reality; more creepy than nice.

**Sir Shirkin**: Ha! Most likely!

**ABNORMAL2110**: Heh, because some not only touched his worn underpants but folded them? He finds it to be (in the assumed words of Yuffie) "creepy to the extreme." That he is!

**Meggurra**: Aww, thanks! It's also fun to write; blonde rednecks usually are my forte.

**omgitskirby**: Heh.

**Sybranna**: Heh, well, here's another. Thanks!

**The Disorganization**: Aww, here you go! Metaphorical hugs right back at you.


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Stalking Follies

Summary: Cid just wanted to find out more about the silent man that stalked the halls of the Highwind. It was not his fault that the vampire would not give up the information willingly...

Warnings: Drinking, smoking, swearing, eventual yaoi, etc...

Disclaimer: ...I die a little every time I have to say this: I do not own them.

* * *

><p>Getting another blank stare in return, the blonde rolled his eyes before moving to sit on the bed. Cid watched at the gunner walked over and set the box of expensive alcohol on the bed before turning away and walking towards the door. Rather than make an even bigger fool of himself than he already had, the pilot waited to see whether or not the brunette gunner was going to leave him to drink alone in his room. He raised an eyebrow when the brunette looked back at him before closing the door silently, casting the room into pure darkness and making it impossible to see anything. "...Well, this is weird," the pilot commented as he blinked, trying to adjust to the sudden darkness. He nearly jumped when he felt the mattress sink down directly next to him.<p>

Trying not to jump up and run out of there as fast as he could, the blonde tried to relax as he heard a bottle carefully being opened. All right, this is not too weird... He was just sitting in the dark with one of the men that the fought alongside on a daily basis. He could not see but he was pretty sure that Vincent would not poison him in the dark. He tried to keep from jumping when he felt warm leather-clad fingers curling gently around his palm before pulling his hand away from his body and settling a tepid bottle in his grip. The gunner's fingers curled around his one in a silent request for him to grip the bottle. Nodding in the dark, Cid curled his own fingers around the body of the glass bottle, feeling an awkward silence engulf the room as he struggled to see.

Fuck, even after sitting in the dark for what felt like forever, he still could not see a goddamn thing! He knew that the there were at least three windows in the room; he made sure that there were plenty of windows in every room that was designated as a guest room on his airship. So, did the fucker board them up to keep out any goddamn light?

He carefully brought the bottle to his lips and took a sip before looking over in the brunette man's general direction. Nearly jumping out of his skin, the blonde startled when he saw dark red eyes glowing in the dark as they stared over at him. Goddamn! At this rate, the fucker was going to scare him into a full head of silver hair before his next birthday! Trying to calm his racing heart, the blonde glared at the glowing orbs. Hell, he knew that Cloud's eyes glowed in the dark; he was so full of mako that it was hard to tell if his eyes were blue to begin with or if it were merely the magical energy thrumming underneath the surface of his body and pulsing through his skin. But Vincent's eyes were red, not blue... Did he have some sort of botched mako injected into his blood? Were his eyes naturally the color of blood?

Trying to calm his rattled nerves, the pilot eagerly drank from the mouth of the bottle, the liquor calming him down as he mulled over the flavor in his mouth. It really was good stuff, he mused as he took another mouthful, listening as Vincent opened another bottle in the dark. Looks like the silent fucker was going to actually drink with him in the dark. Well, that made things a lot less awkward. He moved to lie back on the bed, body resting on his elbows so he could still drink the aged liquor as he relaxed. "Yanno," he drawled out before swallowing another mouthful of the liquid. "Yer an odd fucker, Val." Cid was not sure if it was all in his hazy mind or not, but he could of sworn that he heard a noncommittal sound come from the brunette that sat close by. "Don't...don't get me wrong; yer quirky in a fun...an' very annoyin' way." A deep chuckling filled the room and Cid was not sure when he started laughing.

Why did he start laughing? He paused as he tried to stop himself before coming to the realization that he was not the one making that sound. ...Was Vincent laughing at him? Oh, so the fucker finally decided to make a sound around him and it's goddamn laughter? Huffing, the blonde sat up quickly, mind rationalizing that he was far drunker than he thought he was, but paying it no mind as pointed a finger in the brunette's direction, his gloved finger pressing into the cloth of the gunner's cloak.

Amused, red eyes looked down at the gloved finger that was pressing against his clothed nipple. The pilot did not know which part of the brunette he was poking as he glared weakly at him, vision blurring slightly and making it look as though three red eyes were staring at him. He blinked in an attempt to clear his vision when suddenly the glowing orbs disappeared from sight and he felt the soft mattress press against his back, head cradled in the fluffy pillow at the top of the bed. Flailing, and wondering how the brunette managed to push him down without noticing, the blonde struggled to sit up, snarling when he felt gloved fingers against the left side of his chest while warm metal curled around his wrists, holding them above his head and against the pillow. Did the bastard just handcuff him?

Writhing even move, the pilot pulled against his restraints, mind not making a complete connection when he felt the metal loosen before tightening around his wrists, a warm weight settling down over his groin as the hand on his chest moved across to rest directly underneath his collarbone. He tried to focus as the red eyes seemed eerily close to his face, the dark pools of red staring down through him and into his soul. For a man that said jack shit, he sure had expressive eyes, Cid thought as he stared back. It almost looked like he was trying to see something inside of him... That thought sent a shiver through his body while the hand on his chest was removed, leaving him wonder where it went and why he pulled away the warm limb.

Feeling his goggles being pulled off of his forehead, the pilot's struggle renewed, hips bucking underneath the brunette man as he tried to dislodge him. For such a skinny fuck, he sure was strong.

"...Shhh..." a dark voice rumbled in front of him, making the pilot freeze suddenly. Shit, was he finally speaking to him? Gods, he hoped that he would remember this in the morning! "Relax, Chief..."

Chief? Now, he's been called many things in his day; the most formal being "Captain," of course. No one has ever called him "Chief" before... That was odd. He could not help but relax at the deep sound of the other man's voice. Hell, he would be perfect for phone sex... Okay, he has had way too much to drink!

Settling down, Cid continued to stare back at the ruby eyes directly in front of his own eyes, momentarily wondering why their faces were so close before he craned his neck and placed a soft kiss to the brunette's lips. As his lips pressed against Vincent's warm lips, the pilot could barely think clear enough to recognize that the fabric that was brushing against his throat was the lip of the brunette's cloak. Oh yeah, he was completely drunk. Even in his hazy mind, a part of him screamed that planting a kiss on the man that he was supposed to be stalking was a big "no-no!" Another part of his mind could only focus of the warm body that was seated on his groin and staring down at him with the gorgeous red eyes that looked as though they were blended with golden swirls. All right, no more liquor; he was so flying the friendly skies.

"...You are so drunk," Vincent murmured softly as his fingers threaded through the blonde's hair, his voice resonating through the blonde's entire being and making him shake. Cid relaxed into the touch and slowly slipped asleep with the lanky gunner sitting upon him and pinning him down.

One blue eye cracked open as pain thrummed through his head, fingers flinching at the sound of someone pounding on his door. "Fuck off!" he groaned as his head pulsed, burying his face into his pillow as he tried to ignore the words that came from the other side of the door. Yuffie, no doubt. No one had a voice as grating as hers when it came to hangovers. Growling to himself at her incessant gabbing, he staggered out of bed, trying to focus on putting one foot before the other as he made his way to the door, opening it before glaring at the petite girl. "Fuck...off!"

Ignoring her laughter, he slammed the door before climbing into bed, nuzzling his face into his pillow at the silence that settled into his room, easing him back into a gentle sleep. It felt like seconds before someone else was knocking on his door. "Cid? The storm's over," a voice that sounded identical to Cloud called out, making the blonde groan. One storm was gone, but a new one was brewing inside of his head... Climbing out of his bed once more, the blonde made his way back to door before opening it again.

"I ain't fuckin' flyin' right now, Spike. I got a headache like ya wouldn't believe," he grumbled, glaring at how the other blonde's eyes widened. "What?"

"...Why do you have a bat on your chest?"

Well, that was unexpected.

"...Come again?" Looking down, the blonde paused at the sight of a black outline of small bat wings drawn across his chest right between his nipples. Oh, fuck... This better not be a tattoo! Licking his thumb, the blonde ran it down one of the wings, breathing a sigh of relief when a touch of the ink appeared on his thumb. Close call. "...Looks like I was fuckin' pranked when I was sleepin'," the blonde said before walking over to his bed and lying down.

Nodding, Cloud looked around the clean room, "Everyone's ready to go to Wutai, Cid. Are you sober enough to fly?"

"Of course! Jus' 'cause I got plastered with Val last night don't mean I can't fly!"

"...You and Vincent were drinking? He seemed fine this morning and didn't mention spending any time with you..."

"Yer shittin' me, Spike..."

"...No. Even ask Aeris. All he said was that he had a nice, quiet night alone."

Son of a bitch! ...He could not have dreamt that all... Could he? No, Vincent had to have been lying to them; he heard the motherfucker speak! He was sure of it! Mostly sure... ...Pretty sure... ...God-fucking-dammit.

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**fetherhd**: Indeed!

**Meggurra**: Heh, what can I say, I'm a simple one! He's going to try! Thanks!

**Sir Shirkin**: He's a quiet one, that's for sure! ...And we all know what they say about those quiet ones...

**Roxy Catastrophe**: Heh, usually a box spring and a mattress onto a frame covered in sheets, pillows and blankets?

**Inuobsessed004**: It's like a blonde walking through the mall and seeing a display of shiny baubles. Oh, the fun!

**ABNORMAL2110**: Aww, thanks! Cid's very easy for me to write.

**-Unrequited Desires-**: Aww, thanks!

**Teeties**: Heh, well, he kind of brings it on himself...

**Purple Pallbearer**: Hm, I have yet to decide... Heh, very true!


	6. Chapter 6

Title: Stalking Follies

Summary: Cid just wanted to find out more about the silent man that stalked the halls of the Highwind. It was not his fault that the vampire would not give up the information willingly...

Warnings: Drinking, smoking, swearing, eventual yaoi, etc...

Disclaimer: ...I die a little every time I have to say this: I do not own them.

* * *

><p>Grumbling to himself, the blonde pilot stormed past Cloud before heading down towards the kitchen, ignoring the footsteps that followed behind him. Walking into the small kitchen, the pilot narrowed his eyes at the sight of Yuffie sitting at the table and talking loudly to the moody and silent motherfucker that seemed to want nothing more than to make the pilot look and feel like an utter fool. Stomping up to the brunette male and grabbing a fistful of his cloak, Cid tugged harshly on the thick and warm fabric, jerking the gunner and quickly getting his attention. "The fuck is this?" he snapped while pointing to his bare chest, finger brushing against the edge of the outline of a bat.<p>

"It's a bat," Yuffie said as she snorted. "How blind can you be when you're flying this Leviathan-awful device like a geriatric old man with tremors?"

"Thank ya, Captian-fuckin'-Obvious!" the blonde retorted as he flipped off the young ninja.

"...I thought you were the Captain," Cloud added softly, the tone making his words sound more like a question than a statement.

"...Do ya want to find out what it's like to be fuckin'stabbed to death by a damn fork, kid? Is that how this is going to go down?" the pilot snapped at his fellow blonde while rolling his eyes. Goddamn, he was traveling with a bunch of nitwits! Turning his attention back to the silent man that was staring at him blankly, Cid contemplated streaming in annoyance and kicking all of the crazies that he was currently stuck with off of his airship and heading back to Rocket Town. "Why the fuck did ya draw this on my chest?" He was met with an awkward silence. Minutes ticked by as the air around them grew thicker. Unable to take it anymore, the pilot let out a scream before storming out of the kitchen. "That's it! I've fuckin' had it! I'm done!"

Making his way back to his room, the blonde pilot slammed his door shut before lying on top of his mattress and rumpled covers, burying his face into his pillow and looking a lot like a sulking teenage girl. That bastard. He was such a mind fuck; every time Cid thought he was getting close to seeing a little bit of insight in the man, he fucking does a complete u-turn! Hell, they shared drinks last night from the man's personal stash of liquor! He fucker actually spoke to him! ...At least, he thought he did... That man was a fucking pain in the ass and he was going to give up on making the annoying bastard speak to him.

But that did not mean that he was going to give up his quest to find out more about the sulky bastard. Not on his moping, vampiric, silent ass! He just had to get a few steps ahead of the lurking fucker. But how? How the fuck could he possibly sneak up one a guy that seemed to know exactly where he was at all fucking times and was out to make him look like a fucking idjit? ...Wait... How the fuck was the bastard able to know where he was at all times? Shifting in his bed, the pilot lifted his arm up before craning his head down and sniffing. He still smelled the same; like soap, and smoke...and a little bit of grease. Nothing too bad. So, the fucker could not be finding him by smell. Besides, there were seven other people on his goddamn airship, not including the lanky fucker, of course. Surely they stink more than he does! At least he bathed regularly!

Sleeping while sweaty and covered in grease was never a good thing; ruined the damn sheets and blankets as well as making it damn difficult to sleep in the following night. But, he digressed...

So, the silent bastard could not be finding him by smell, he had to be finding him by a different method. Something normal. Something anyone could do.

Blue eyes snapped open as his mind made the connections. Son of a bitch! The fucker was stalking him? Scrambling out of his bed, the pilot stumbled to his feet before collapsing on the floor in a crumpled heap, the thin sheet-like blankets curled around his ankles and keeping his leg in the air while the rest of his body lied on the floor like a marionette with cut strings. Letting out a long string of curses, the blonde quickly worked on extricating himself from the tangled mess of fabrics. Once free, he hoped to his feet before swinging open his door, narrowing his eyes as he looked around the narrow hallway.

Huh...he was certain that the brunette was stalking him.

Nah.

Closing the door again, Cid moved to sit on his bed as he pulled the last cigarette out of his crumpled carton, fishing out a lighter out of his nightstand as he slipped the filtered end of the fag between his lips, grinning when his fingers brushed against cold plastic. Pulling out the lighter, he quickly lit his cigarette before tossing the neon green object onto the bed and sucking heavily on the filter. He held his breath once he finished inhaling, letting the acrid smoke fill his lungs and holding it in as long as he could before slowly breathing out, muscles relaxing slightly at the calming feeling that the nicotine caused. Oh yeah, nothing beat a good fag on a tense morning. ...Except a good fag and a nice cup of hot tea.

Speaking of hot tea, the blonde thought as he got up and headed out of his room. He needed himself a hot cup right about now. Maybe with a muffin. Tifa sure could make some bitching muffins and banana-nut kicked blueberries' ass every day of the goddamn week. Walking down the hallway, the pilot paused as a chill ran up his spine, causing the hair on the nape of his neck to stand on edge. Something told him to turn around and throw a fist in that direction. Something was watching him; attack!

Instead of following his instincts, Cid spun around and glared at the empty hallway as he took another drag on his cigarette. Goddamn, he was jumpy today. No one was watching him; it was some kind of fucking psychological manifestation. Yeah; he was going to be stalking Vincent and his mind was trying to convince him that the lanky motherfucker was stalking him. Kind of like how when someone cheats, they think the broad's cheating on them, too. Not that he ever cheated on no one! No, he was going to be a stalker, that did not make him a cheater! ...Where the fuck was he going with this?

"I really need my goddamn tea," Cid muttered to himself as he made his way to the kitchen. Stepping into the deserted kitchen, the blonde grinned to himself. Looks like they all realized that he was not joking around. Good. He made his way to the kettle, setting it onto the stove after filling it with water and turning it on high. Leaving it to boil, the blonde tapped the ash from his fag into the sick before opening different canisters on the counter and taking out different amounts of loose tea leaves from each one. He mixed the leaves together as the kettle whistled shrilly. Gods, he loved the sound of a hot kettle of water screaming to let him know that it was ready for the leaves.

Turning off the heat, he pulled the kettle onto a cool burner before opening it and adding the tea leaves into the steaming water. Closing the lid, he sat down at the table and waited for the leaves to steep, humming softly to himself to pass the time as he continued to smoke his cigarette. Once enough time had passed, he quickly poured himself a hot cup of tea, relaxing at the table as he took a sip of the hot liquid. The pilot alternated between drags on his cigarette and sips from his cup of tea until both were finished. Feeling much better once his senses were clouded with nicotine and caffeine, the blonde made his way back to him room before grabbing a pen and paper. For some reason, he felt less jumpy on the way back. Chalking it up to jittery nerves due to withdrawal being calmed, the blonde began to work on his plan.

Now, what were the known locations that Vincent preferred to hide in? Dark places, obviously; he refused to believe that last night was a fucking dream that he had made up. So, he liked dark places, alcohol, cigarettes... A man after his own heart. Not that he was looking for a man and not that the somber bastard was trying to be his man, of course.

Back to the topic at hand: Vincent was a reclusive fucker, that was for sure. Rather than using his time trying to draw the pasty fuck into a bright area, he would have to keep his eye on the dark corners of his baby in an attempt to find out where the trigger happy, gothic vampire sulked. Obviously, he did not spend much time in the room and sure as fuck was not sleeping in the bed that Cid had put in there. The ungrateful bastard.

So...how would he go about this? The easiest way to spot him would be to install cameras around the Highwind. But, he argued to himself mentally, that would also mean that when they stop in Wutai that he would have to look for an electronic store, purchase the materials needed, install them all, and make sure everything is running smoothly without calling the attention of the others. Yeah, like that could happen!

Pressing the tip of the pen against the paper, the blonde began to swirl the pen mindlessly as he tried to think of a viable option. He might be able to follow the silent fucker around the hallways in the middle of the night, but that would mean that he would have to sleep during the day, which was not a possibility with the group of idjits that he was stuck with. Unless... Unless he did not do it every night. Hell, he was still young, despite what Yuffie liked to think...and say... A couple of all-nighters every once in a while could not hurt him if he just slept for a few more hours during the rest of the week. Granted, it would be difficult at first and he was certain that everyone would notice his sudden bitchiness during the first night without any sleep. He would have to come up with a good reason for them. ...A reason that he could not sleep...

Ran out of cigarettes? Nah, Vincent already gave him two cartons of fags and would get suspicious if he suddenly was without any smokes.

Ran out of tea? That would require a strong will and a severe lack of tea. While Cid was proud that he had a very strong will, he was certain that he would not be able to survive without any tea to drink. His longest dry-spell was for two-days before they decided to stop in a town specifically for tea. Cloud did not want to do it, but he adamantly agreed when faced with the choice of the pilot having no tea to drink or having an ample supply.

Need to get laid? Now, that could be an option. Of the three women, Yuffie was constantly hanging off the ragged ends of Vincent's cloak while Tifa and Aeris practically dry-humped Cloud. But, then again, Barret might take it as a chance for them all to take a night off. While the man was all for saving the planet, or some shit like that, he was still a man and nothing but sex could cure a case of blue balls.

That was when Cid paused, pen stopping on the paper as a grin overcame his face. If he had looked down at the paper, he would have seen a small bat was drawn among the swirled clouds and designs that he had drawn while thinking, He had a perfect idea that no one could alter or try to fix... He was going to claim that he could not sleep because of a nightmare. Say the rocket had fallen on his house and trapped him underneath the weight, engine fuel dripping over him as electricity sparked overhead. Hell, they could nothing to try to fix his dreams, right?

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**Inuobsessed004**: Heh, sorry to burst your bubbles, babe. No fluffy bats in this one. ...Just horny bats...

**fetherhd**: He had to leave his mark in some way...

**ABNORMAL2110**: Ha! Loved it!

**klausolas**: Heh, well, we'll see... Wait no more!

**Sybranna**: Aww! I don't mean to make you heartbroken! Here's a new update to heal it!

**Sir Shirkin**: Thanks. Wait no more

**Toki Mirage**: Aww, thanks! Here's more for you!

**carbonitedoubleohneg**: Heh, wll, I can't tell you that!


	7. Chapter 7

Title: Stalking Follies

Summary: Cid just wanted to find out more about the silent man that stalked the halls of the Highwind. It was not his fault that the vampire would not give up the information willingly...

Warnings: Drinking, smoking, swearing, eventual yaoi, etc...

Disclaimer: ...I die a little every time I have to say this: I do not own them.

* * *

><p>Nodding to himself, Cid tossed the pen and paper on his nightstand, not caring when the pen bounced off the nightstand and fell to the floor before rolling under the bed. Making sure he was dressed fully and ready to go, the blonde pilot reached over and grabbed his spear before opening the door. Beady black eyes stared back at him as golden feathers ruffled. "Wark!"<p>

Jumping, the pilot sneered at the large bird, "Fuckin' chicken." Pushing the large creature out of the way slightly, the blonde made his way past the large bird, grunting irritably when the large beast followed him with a soft "kweh." Heading towards the chocobo stall, the blonde spun around on his heels and pointed his spear at the large bird.

"Ya get yer feathered ass in there," he snapped while jerking his head in direction of the hay-filled stall. The bird craned his head down before trilling softly and tilting his head to the side. "Do I look like Spike to ya? I don't fuckin' speak bird!"

"Wark!" the bird chirped before jumping up and flapping its wings.

"...Fuckin' pain in my ass," the blonde grumbled before walking around the bird, squeezing past it and glaring at it. "Get in the goddamn stall!"

"Wark! Wark!"

"I ain't fuckin' askin' ya, bird! Get in the fuckin' stall 'fore I make ya!" the pilot snapped before feeling a chill run up his spine, the large bird leaning over and plucking a few strands of hair out of his head before darting into the stall. "Ow!" Growling, he stomped after the chocobo before slamming the door shut and locking it. "The next time ya come out, I'm turnin' yer ass into fried chicken!" Spinning around, the blonde pilot jumped when he came face-to-upper chest with Vincent. Clutching at his pulsing heart, the blonde glared at the tall man. "Ya fuckin' tryin' to give me gray hair?" Growling, he grabbed a fistful of the red cloak that was draped around the gunner's tall body before stomping off, pulling the man behind him. "I've fuckin' had enough of yer shit!"

Leading the tall brunette by force, Cid headed towards his room, kicking the door open before heading over to his bed and pushing the brunette down on it. Pointing his finger at the ex-Turk that stared blankly at him from behind disheveled hair, the pilot narrowed his eyes. "Ya stay the fuck there!" he snapped before turning around and rifling through his room until he came across a toolbox. Snapping the metal device open, the blonde began to fish through the tools, tossing some behind him before standing up and turning to face the taller man that was sitting on the bed, hair back in its messy place.

Holding up a long, slightly dirty chain and a couple of bells, the pilot grinned before sitting next to the gunner. He had to know that this was coming. The fucker just kept on startling the fuck out of the pilot every chance he got. Using a pair of pliers, the blonde worked on fastening the bells to the chain, shaking it with a wide grin on his face once all of the bells were attached. Not wasting any time, the pilot leaned over before fastening it to a couple of the gunner's multiple belts. "There!" Cid said proudly as he wiped his gloved hands off on his own thighs. "No more fuckin' sneakin' 'round here an' tryin' to give me a head of gray hair, ya got it?" The blonde watched as the brunette man looked down at the crude, yet effective, belt of bells that was chained around his waist. Standing up, the blonde pilot mock-saluted Vincent with two fingers before tossing his spear over his shoulder and grinning. "We're headin' to Wutai now," he added before heading out of his room with a Southern swagger. "Gather up all the shit yer gonna need 'fore we land in case Spike decides to take ya with him on some fuckin' crazy-ass escapade."

With that, Cid walked out of his room before heading towards the control room, smacking Cloud in the back of his head when he past him. "Yer fuckin' bird's back in its goddamn stall. Let the giant fucker out again an' Tifa will have plenty of poultry to fry up, got that, kid?"

"...You can't eat chocobo," Cloud commented, looking like an appalled chocobo himself at the mere thought of such an act.

"Want to fuckin' bet? Tastes jus' like chicken, ya know," the pilot commented before continuing on his path to the control room. Once he was back in his station, the blonde pilot ran his gloved hands over the controls before reaching over and flicking on the PA system. "Hold onto yer shit 'casue we're takin' off!" he snapped amicably before turning off the system and flipping on the controls for the Highwind. Whistling an old, Southern tune, the blonde worked on steering the large device through the sky, grinning when he heard jingling in the distance. Heh, the lanky fuck was on the move. It sure would make it easier to find the lurking bastard later in the night. Keeping his eyes on the sky, the blonde continued to keep the airship pointed in the direction of Yuffie's hometown, unable to will away his grin as the jingling grew louder.

Blue eyes flicked over to the door momentarily as the sound grew even louder, pausing at the sight of Yuffie running in carrying a chain with bells around it.

Son of a bitch...

"Hey, watch where you're going, old man!" the Wutaian ninja shrieked before pointing out the windshield. Rolling his eyes, the pilot huffed as he turned the aircraft in the sky, narrowly missing the large mountains that he was going to crash into.

"Where did ya get that, brat?" he snapped, feeling much more surly than he had when he attached the bells to Vincent's skinny waist.

"From Vinny," the young girl beamed. "I'm going to be the future Mrs. Vincent Valentine!"

"Is that so?" Gods, the urge to smoke was increasing. Sure, it was great that the somber motherfucker was showing an interest in the whiny, needy, talkative, egotistical... Where was he going with this? Oh yeah, love. The lanky man was going to start dating the young girl and would, hopefully, stop being such a gloomy bastard. Hell, maybe she could give him a reason to fight for. The man could not fight for...what the fuck was he fighting for again? All he heard from Cloud was that he spoke a lot about some broad and Hojo after they pried him out of the coffin. Supposed coffin. Cid still called bullshit on the whole damn tale. Then again, the entire quest that they were all on seemed like a giant, steaming pile of bullshit as well...

"Yeah! I'm going to take him to some of our best places to eat in Wutai and then we're going to go see my father!"

Oh, that sounded like a horrible idea...

"Go fer it," the blonde pilot encouraged her. Sure, it could potentially be a cruel act on his part. Then again, it could be the kind of push that the alleged vampire needed to grow a pair and ask the pain in the ass out on a date. Lord knows the man needed to do something besides roam the goddamn halls like a ghost haunting a torn down building. Hell, he was already speaking to the annoying brat far more than he had himself. Two pains in his ass that were practically meant for each other.

"Do you think he would like a full-blown ceremony or small family affair? Does Vinny even have family?" the young woman mused out loud, making Cid blink in confusion.

"Are ya talkin' 'bout a weddin'?"

"Duh!"

"Ain't a fuckin' smart idea to count yer chickens 'fore they hatch, brat."

"Huh? Speak English, you old fart!"

"Fuckin' children... See how the fuckin' date goes 'fore ya start pickin' fer first-born child's name!"

"Aww, where's the fun in that?" Yuffie huffed before stomping away. "I'm going to go talk to Tifa and Aeris!"

"Please fuckin' do!" Cid snapped at her, wishing he had remembered to shove a new carton of cigarettes in his pocket before leaving Vincent alone in his room. It sure would give him something to help take the edge off. Turning his attention back to the sky, the blonde carefully circled around the mountainous terrain of the elongated and lean island before landing in the plush grass not too far away from the town. Turning off the device, the blonde grabbed his spear from where he had set it beside the controls before heading back to his room. While Cloud and the two unlucky souls he chose head into the town and while Yuffie dragged Vincent on a very willing and fun or very reluctant and disastrous date, the blonde would relax in his room, work on his prototypes, and smoke to his heart's content.

Opening the door to his room, the pilot set his lance beside the door before heading towards his bed, pausing when a voice called out, "Hey, Cid, are you ready to go?" Son of a bitch. Turning around, the blonde looked at the only other blonde in their group, Yuffie pouting as she stood next to the swordsman, arms crossed over her chest and a thwarted expression on her face.

"Yeah, yeah," the pilot grumbled before grabbing his spear once more. He followed the leader of their group as they walked through the halls of the Highwind. Honestly, was it such a bad thing to just want one fucking night to himself? It seemed like ever since he had joined the goddamn group he never had a moment just to himself, a night alone to sort out his own thoughts about the hastily strung together group of loony tunes that were currently living in his airship as they tried to find an even crazier loony tune that was trying to destroy the world. Once they were out of his precious airship and walking down the streets of the old town, Cid looked around as they made their way around, Yuffie often stopping to point out the significance of some pillar, building, or fucking rock that they passed. Killing the time with some rambling, ridiculous story that was difficult to tell if she was actually making up the more that she spoke.

Grumbling to himself as the young girl continued to talk, with Cloud nodding at everything she said and never interrupting, the pilot slipped his hand into one of his pockets, gloved fingers wiggling around as he tried to grab the trusty carton of cigarettes that he had slipped in his pocket earlier. The blonde pilot frowned when his leather-clad fingers met nothing but the soft material of his pocket. Tossing his spear to his other hand, the pilot frantically began to search his other pocket, hoping against all odds that he had just slipped the carton into his other pocket and had not actually forgotten the lovely cancer sticks that brought him the calm that his nerves needed.

Realization dawned on Cid as he smacked himself in the forehead, grumbling when he nearly knocked his goggles clear off of his head. Fixing his goggles, the pilot glared darkly at his two companions, one looking happy to be back in her hometown and the other looking unsure as to whether or not he should interrupt her; probably with something about sightseeing while Sephiroth was on the run and how time was of the essence.

Returning his focus back to his current dilemma, the pilot sneered to himself as he tightened his grip around his spear, trying to focus on anything but the grating sound of the Wutainese girl's grating voice as she continued to ramble, arms gesturing to objects as she talked unnecessarily loud. This was going to be a long day...

...He forgot his goddamn cigarettes back in his room.

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	8. Chapter 8

Title: Stalking Follies

Summary: Cid just wanted to find out more about the silent man that stalked the halls of the Highwind. It was not his fault that the vampire would not give up the information willingly...

Warnings: Drinking, smoking, swearing, drug use, eventual yaoi, etc...

Disclaimer: ...I die a little every time I have to say this: I do not own them.

* * *

><p>Grumbling to himself, the pilot gnashed his teeth together as he followed Cloud and Yuffie through the simple town of Wutai, the urge to smoke growing more and more intense with every step that he took. Every word out of the young girl's mouth continued to bring the pilot to think about the beloved cigarettes that lied within his room, content in their cartons and just dying to be lit on fire and sucked on. ...Wow, that sounded dirty. "I'll be right fuckin' back!" the pilot snapped, buckling under the intense need for a cigarette. Heading into the nearest store, the blonde strode up to the counter before pointing at the clerk. "Yeah, I need fuckin' cigarettes!"<p>

Blinking calmly at the man, the store clerk grinned before reaching over and slowly handing the pilot a carton of cigarettes, "These will help you calm down." Rolling his eyes the blonde man paid for the carton before tearing open the flimsy paper box and pulled out one of the delicate cigarettes. He walked out of the store as he clamped the item between his teeth, fishing through his pockets for something to light his precious object with. Finding a lighter, and having to struggle to get the nearly empty device lit, he set the weak flame under the tip of the cigarette, grinning when the fag's tip lit up and began to burn.

"Hey, you shouldn't smoke that!" Yuffie called out sharply, making the blonde man roll his eyes.

"I'm a grown fuckin' man!" he snapped before flipping off the brunette girl. "Ain't had a good smoke in a long time an' I could use a couple of fags to calm me down!"

"But those-" huffing, the ninja sneered at him before grinning widely. "Suit yourself! Smoke away, old man!"

Ignoring how easily the young ninja gave up on trying to get him to stop smoking, the pilot relaxed as he savored the taste of the lit cigarette, breathing in the smoke before humming softly. It had a different flavor than the brand that he usually smoked but Cid chalked that up to these ones being grown in Wutai. Walking along with the others, he found himself unable to focus on the words that were flying from Yuffie's mouth, most of them nonsense anyway. Instead, his eyes were glued to the mountains that she was talking about. There was nothing truely special about them, the blonde thought as he looked at the carved bodies and faces in the distance, not feeling as though the time and work that went into them amounted to much.

Blue eyes stared blankly at the highest face that stared out over them all, an irrational fear clutching at his heart and clawing through his mind with long talons that gripped his mind and squished in its tight and powerful grasp. In his normal state of mind, he would have paid no attention to the large carvings in the mountainside, yet they called out to him... The unseeing eyes seemed to follow him with every step that he took, watching his every move as though it were going to spring out of the rocky terrain at any given moment and flatten them all with a maniacal laugh. Yeah, there was definitely something wrong with the statue. Cid flicked his eyes to his companions briefly, frowning at the way that Yuffie was whispering to Cloud.

They were plotting something...

They were in cahoots with the mountainside carving!

Logic told him that he was being irrational, that there was no possible way that his two teammates were plotting against him with a giant, carved rock. But logic died a messy death as it was eaten alive by irrational fear. Narrowed blue orbs glared at the statues in the distance, muscles tense as he refused to break his gaze away from the all-seeing rock. When a hand clapped down on his shoulder, Cid quickly grabbed the offending limb before flipping the person over his shoulder.

Cloud grunted as he was flipped over, Yuffie laughing hysterically in the background as the pilot bolted away from them, heading back towards the relative safety of the Highwind. It was far away enough the he would at least hear the large rock formation moving if it decided to launch its attack on him. He stalked down the hallways, boots clacking against the hard metal as he moved, listening for any sounds that would clue him to an impending attack. Hearing nothing, the blonde man made his way to him room, locking the door behind him as the cigarette continued to burn between his lips, lungs filling with the thick smoke before he closed all of the windows in a frantic paranoia.

Clutching his spear to his chest, Cid moved to stand beside his door, back pressed against the wall as he tried to calm his rapidly beating heart. They were all out to get him; plotting with the fucking statues to kill him and steal his airship. He would show them! Metal clanged together directly to his left and made the nervous pilot jump. Readying his spear, he flipped the lock to his door, preparing himself when the door opened before lunging out at the inruder.

Golden claws quickly gripped around the shaft of Cid's spear, keeping the bladed tip centimeter's from his face as he quirked an eyebrow at the attacking man. Sneering, the pilot tugged on his spear, trying to free it from the strong grip of the lurking bastard that always seemed to be on his heels. "Ya fuckin' joined 'em, huh?" He snapped as he glared at the crimson-eyed man. The brunette shook his head slowly in denial before easily pulling the lance free from the blonde's grasp. Gloved fingers reached out before plucking the smoldering cigarette from the blonde's lips, sniffing it before letting it fall to the ground and crushing it under the heel of his boot. "'Ey!"

"...The drugs in those will make you paranoid," the deep voice said, making the pilot blink his blue eyes up at the lithe man. Was he actually fucking speaking to him or was it all in his head? "Come," he said, setting the spear against the wall before delicately holding the pilot by his arms and leading him to the bed as if he were a porcelain doll that needed to be set in its case before harm befell it. "Sit," he ordered gently.

The sound of his voice compelled the pilot to sit down on the edge of his bed, his eyes continuing to watch the brunette man carefully. He sounded identical to the way that he remembered the fucker sounding that night when they lied together and drank expensive liquor. It was odd, Cid mused as he watched the brunette's face. He could not tell if the gunner was the actual one talking or if his mind was fucking itself as his face gave no inclination that his lips were moving and his tongue was curling around the words that his mouth formed.

"Why the fuck do ya wear that?" he asked even the brunette worked on getting the blonde to lie down, gently working to untie the blonde man's shoes without having to slice through the pilot's laces. Snorting, Cid wiggled his feet free of Vincent's grasp before kicking off the boots and letting the brunette man tuck him under the covers with a soft hum. Crimson eyes met his own before leather-clad fingers pulled the flight goggles off of his head.

"Get some sleep, Chief," the walking enigma murmured, compelling the pilot to follow his thinly-veiled order and close his eyes.

He quickly fell asleep and woke up to someone pounding heavily on his door. Scrambling to his feet, the blonde grunted when he become entangled in the blankets and fell to the floor in a twisted heap. "Hold yer fuckin' chocobos!" the pilot snarled as he squirmed under the cloth that was wound around his body, working to free just one arm from the cotton confines. Once he free his right arm, the pilot used his newfound freedom to pry the rest of his body out from underneath the cotton blankets. Rising to his feet, Cid made his way over to the door, swinging it open as he yawned.

"Finally done tripping?" the young Wutainese girl asked as she grinned mischievously.

"Shit! Ya fuckin' let me get high?" Cid snapped as he glared at the young girl.

"I tried to warn you, you stubborn geezer!" the ninja countered as she stuck out her tongue. "You didn't want to listen to me though! And put on some pants! No one wants to see that!"

Blinking in confusion, the blonde looked down and groaned before slamming the door in the Wutaian's face, resting his head against the cool metal of his door. He was stripped down to a pair of boxers. The fucking gothic vampire had to have had something to do with it! He was the last person that he remembered being in contact with before everything went fuzzy. That had to mean that he went to sleep. But, he reasoned, no one would have been able to tuck themselves in the way that he was tucked in.

So, the brunette lurker had not only stripped him after getting him to lie down, but had also managed to strip the pilot of almost all of his clothes without him protesting...that he could remember, that is. He was certain that he would have put up at least a little bit of a fight; it was in his nature to fight against someone that was doing something to his body that he did not agree with...or something around him in general. But he did not remember fighting with the pasty fucker. So, perhaps he did not get undressed by the bastard?

Fuck, he really needed to have a word with the sulky motherfucker about boundaries. Every time he got buzzed; or high, apparently; the sneaky fuck was always close by and he woke up in his own bed the following morning. Until he heard straight from the gunner's mouth that he had not only carried him to bed but also stripped him, Cid was not going to even entertain the thoughts of what the gunner might have been up to while he was out of his fucking mind. With any luck, the brunette man would not say a goddamn word and he would be free to think that he had staggered back to bed drunk and undressed himself while in a blackout that rivaled any other blackout that he had ever fallen into. The pilot also reasoned that there was a chance that he was so out of his mind earlier, that he stripped in the off chance that his clothes were bugged. So, he just had to figure out where the fuck he stashed his clothes. ...And the damned, trippy carton of cigarettes that were tucked away in his pocket. He would have to chuck them off of the airship while they fly over the ocean. Fucking things weren't safe for a full-grown man to smoke so there was not fucking way in hell that he was going to let some innocent kid get a hold of the things.

Snorting to himself, the blonde pilot began to search throughout his room, eventually finding his clothes folded up in the nearby hamper. Well, that sure as fuck was odd... Did not mean that Vincent was the one to do it, even though he did not fold his own clothes up the first time that they went missing and wound up in the exact same place.

...Perhaps he was a clean man when drunk off his ass or stoned out of his mind?

The only other alternative was that Vincent fucking Valentine, the man who won't even fucking say a word to him, was folding up his dirty clothes for him...

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	9. Chapter 9

Title: Stalking Follies

Summary: Cid just wanted to find out more about the silent man that stalked the halls of the Highwind. It was not his fault that the vampire would not give up the information willingly...

Warnings: Drinking, smoking, swearing, drug use, eventual yaoi, etc...

Disclaimer: ...I die a little every time I have to say this: I do not own them.

* * *

><p>There was no fucking way that the emotionally detached sharpshooter was breaking into his room while the pilot was blitzed off of his ass; straightening his room and tucking him in for the night. Yeah, he was definitely was going to have to have a word with the lurking bastard. Grumbling to himself, the blonde reached down into the hamper and tossed out the folded clothes, not caring that the majority of it lied across the floor as he picked up the pair of pants that he was wearing the previous day. Fishing through the pockets, the pilot tossed the barely working lighter onto his bed while continuing his search for the elusive packet of cigarettes.<p>

Narrowing his eyes, Cid's blue eyes roamed around the room. Funny, very fucking, the pilot thought as he whipped the heavy denim at the hamper. The son of a bitch had to have taken the carton of drug-laced fags out of his pocket while he was asleep. Why the fuck would the bastard want to not only take the laced cigarettes that he was planning on throwing away but fold up his worn clothes as well? Rising to his feet, the pilot walked over to the dresser, hissing in pain when he stubbed his toes against one of the legs from his dresser. Bending down, the blonde man cupped his toes as he whined softly in his throat. No matter how many times he did that, it still hurt like a bitch!

Setting his foot back down on the ground, the pilot hobbled about as he pulled clean clothes out of his dresser, slipping them one before pulling on his boots and flight goggles. Grabbing his spear, the pilot was about to open his door before he paused, spinning around on his heels and hurrying to his nightstand. Pulling open the drawer, the pilot tossed random tools and items onto the floor, grinning when he picked up one of the cartons of cigarettes that the silent gothic man had given him. Making sure to grab a working lighter, Cid tucked the neon yellow item into his pocket with the carton of cigarettes before leaving his torn apart room.

He walked straight out of his room and headed towards the kitchen; a nice cup of tea sounded like a good thing to have while he smoked one of his cigarettes. Then he would have to confront Cloud about just where the fuck that they were headed next. Once that was done, he could confront Vincent before "going to bed." It was a perfect plan and no one would be the wiser! The pilot grinned to himself when he stepped into the empty kitchen, starting his kettle of tea before sitting down at the table and pulling out the new carton of cigarettes and lighter. Finding that he was unable to remove the thin plastic that wrapped around the paper box like an anaconda around its next meal, Cid snarled and shucked off his gloves, tossing the worn leather onto the smooth surface of the table before trying to peel up one of the corners of the plastic.

Every time that the Captain found himself having to open up a fresh carton of smokes, he began to curse himself for keeping his nails so damn short. Sure, long nails were girly and he was by no means a woman! And sure, short nails made it much easier when dealing with grease and oil; it kept him from spending an ungodly amount of time trying to wash the slick and dark material out from underneath long nails. It also meant that opening a carton of cigarettes was akin to trying to open elevator doors with his bare hands.

Growling, the blonde brought the plastic wrapped carton to his mouth, attempting to use his teeth to free to poor cigarettes that the plastic had taken hostage. Scraping his teeth along the flimsy plastic, the pilot paused. Why the fuck was he using his teeth when his spear was sitting right next to him? He could easily slice the damned thing open and set his poor, defenseless fags free. Reaching over for his lance, the pilot lowered the carton from his mouth and blinked when it was plucked from his hand. He spun around in his chair after letting out and indignant cry, "The fuck are ya doin'?"

Crimson eyes peered into blue eyes blankly before turning to look at the slightly damp and unopened package. Raising his left hand, the gunner carefully extended his pointer finger before pricking the flimsy plastic with the sharp point of his mechanical finger. The gunner dragged his finger around the carton while Cid stared in awe, his mind wandering to think of all of the time that someone had put into creating such a unique prosthetic; mechanical prowess be damned, he really wanted to take apart the device and see exactly how the fuck the thing worked. His train of thoughts led him to wonder whether or not it was a full prosthetic or if there was a chance that part of the brunette's arm lied underneath the metallic joints and gears, controlling the device with his touch or nerves.

Nodding slightly, the brunette gunner reached down and handed the opened carton of cigarettes back to Cid just as the kettle began to whistle on the stove. Offering quick thanks, the pilot tore off the cut plastic before plucking a cigarette out of the paper box, sticking it between his lips before walking over to finish his tea. Once the leaves were steeping in the hot water, he lit the end of the cigarette before sitting back at the table and pointing the open end of the carton at the brunette. Vincent nodded slightly before reaching over and carefully pulled one of the delicate items from the paper carton. The pilot leaned over and lit the end of the brunette's fag before giving his own the same treatment. Sucking heavily on the filtered end, the pilot blew smoke out of his nose before turning his attention to the tall, leather-wearing weirdo.

"So, what the fuck happened last night?" he asked as he watched the brunette man lower the tall cowl of the cloak to quickly take a drag on the cigarette that was seated between his gloved fingers. Crimson eyes kept their gaze on the pilot's bright blue eyes, making the blonde shift slightly with unease. There was something about the fucker that had sent him on edge. It was fucking unnerving; did the bastard ever blink? Cid almost missed the slight rise and fall of Vincent's shoulders as the both of them smoked together. A shrug? Did the motherfucker just shrug at him? How the fuck was that an answer to a simple question? Grumbling, the pilot glared openly at the tall man that continued to stare blankly at him. "I want a fuckin' answer, Val!"

No reply came and the pilot hissed as he got up and made his way to his kettle of tea, pouring himself a cup before pouring one for Vincent. Heading back to the table, the pilot set down one of the cups in front of the gunner before taking his seat and sipping at his own steaming cup. "Start talking," the Southern voice drawled sharply, blue eyes watching as the other man looked down to peer into the dark liquid before delicately raising the glass with his right hand, the cigarette still held between his middle and pointer fingers as his did so. It made the pilot frown; he did not seem all that comfortable holding anything with his left hand. Perhaps it was tender or weak? He never saw the pasty fucker even fight with it. It looked sharp enough to easily gouge open a few enemies...

Still, the gunner refused to openly talk to him even though they were both sitting in an empty kitchen with no one around to listen in. Raising the cup to his lips, the brunette pulled down his cloak carefully with the talons on his left hand before taking a sip of the hot fluid. A wide grin spread across Cid's face as he watched the gunner drink the tea without sugar, honey, or milk. It took a real man to drink tea plain. Hell, the rest of the fucking pansies would not even drink it with milk or sugar, claiming that they cannot live without their precious coffee or chocolate. It was a nice change of pace to see a man actively drinking tea and smoking without a fucking complaint. Granted, the man did not fucking talk to him at all, but... It was fucking close enough.

"Start talking, Val," Cid said as he drank his own tea while smoking his cigarette, blue eyes watching as red eyes watched him right back. It was almost as though it were a fucking staring contest and fuck it all if the pilot did not want to be the one to break contact first. He figured that made if he could get the gunner to crack first, he would finally get some answer out of him without being high or drunk.

"...There is nothing to say," the deep voice said softly, giving Cid a look at his lips as they moved and confirming his suspicions that the gunner was actually talking and that it was not all in his head. It did not really tell him much; was he the one to fold up his clothes? What happened to the drugged smokes?

"Got to be plenty to say, Val. Come on; I'm fuckin' curious 'bout this shit!" the pilot huffed as he leaned back in his chair, folding his arms in front of his chest as the cigarette rested in his grip. "Have ya been the one tuckin' me in at night 'cause I sure as fuck know that I ain't been doin' it to myself; keep waking up and have to roll my ass out of bed before trying to get free! Come on, Val; did I make a fool out of myself? Grope ya? Tell ya some lewd story that got yer panties in a bunch? The fuck is yer problem?" A dark eyebrow quirked up as the gunner stared at Cid in what the pilot thought was amusement. A shrug was all he was given, making the blonde man groan. "Fer fuck's sake, Val! Give me somethin' to fuckin' work with! I know ya are practically a Chatty-Cathy with every-fuckin'-one else!" Pale lips curved into a smirk before the brunette took another sip of his tea, still silently refusing to answer the blonde pilot. He was fucking with him; there were no two ways about it. The pasty motherfucker was getting his jollies from making the Cid Highwind look and feel like a fucking idiot. "All right, ya smug bastard," the blonde snapped. "Hope ya 'member this when the brat runs off to find ya! It'll wipe that damn smirk off of yer face!"

Crimson eyes appeared to be intrigued as he leaned over the table and neared Cid just as Yuffie came running into the room, "Vinny! Cloud said we can spend another day in Wutai! Let's go!"

A fleeting look of panic crossed the gunner's face before he let the tall cowl of his cloak go, crimson eyes starting at Cid intently as he set down his tea and stubbed out his cigarette. The Wutaian girl grabbed him by his arm before dragging the brunette man out of the room while Cid grinned in victory.

"Have fun on yer date!" he called out before taking a drag on his still lit cigarette. "...Ya poor bastard." He tried to feel sympathy for the morose man, but found himself unable to with the way that the taller man refused to talk to him. He fucking deserved it. Now, where could Spike be hiding?

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	10. Chapter 10

Title: Stalking Follies

Summary: Cid just wanted to find out more about the silent man that stalked the halls of the Highwind. It was not his fault that the vampire would not give up the information willingly...

Warnings: Drinking, smoking, swearing, drug use, eventual yaoi, etc...

Disclaimer: ...I die a little every time I have to say this: I do not own them.

* * *

><p>The pilot smirked to himself as he finished his cigarette and tea in peace, letting the time slip by before washing his tea kettle and cup. After they were set down to dry, the pilot made sure to grab his spear before walking out of the kitchen. The spiky-haired kid had to be wandering around somewhere. His bet was on the fucking chocobo stall. The little weirdo seemed to be oddly attached to the feathered beasts. It probably had something to do with the fact that his hair resembled the large birds' ass. Chuckling to himself, the pilot walked down the hallways to the chocobo stall, snorting when he saw the blonde kid crooning at the large bird and happily petting it.<p>

Rolling his eyes, the pilot walked over towards the young man and the bird; man, that kid was a living stereotype. It would not surprise him if he was fucking sired by one of the damn birds! Spinning his lance slowly, the pilot grinned when the bird looked over in his direction, Cloud still oblivious. Whacking the blonde on the head, Cid snorted when the only reaction that he got was the swordsman rubbing his sore head. "...Something you want, Captain?"

"Want to know where the fuck we're heading after the brat and the vampire are finished with their date," the pilot said, his eyes twitching as the large bird cooed before craning its neck over the top of the stall and nuzzling the swordsman head. There was no way in hell that either Tifa or Aeris were ever going to get in his pants; the kid was probably into bestiality!

A shrug was offered up before the other blonde spoke, "I'm not too sure. We'll have to discuss it once everyone's back inside." Humming, the pilot nodded before walking away from the blonde birds. Honestly, who ever heard of having a fucking leader that had no goddamn idea where the fuck they were going? Fuck, he was the pilot and he could probably come up with a better plan than "let's wait and see where this takes us!" For fuck's sake... Going back to his room, the pilot kicked off his shoes and set down his spear before lying on his bed. It was not like him to be so lazy but his only other option was to wander are Wutai and hope not to get pick pocketed, scammed, or run into the potentially disastrous date that was unfolding.

Making himself comfortable, the pilot yawned as he lied on his back, he could always work on his knew schematics or prototypes... Grinning, the pilot sat upright before heading towards the engine room, his feet clad in white socks as he walked. Stepping into the humming room, the pilot grinned at the loud purr that was coming from his baby, his pride and joy. Sitting down in the middle of the room, the blonde man grabbed his red toolbox before rifling through it, setting a variety of tools, designs, and small devices all around him before shucking off his gloves and setting them to the side. Satisfied with the layout, Cid made sure that his flight goggles were going to keep his hair out of his eyes; he was going to have to get it cut soon. Granted, it was nowhere near as long as Cloud's or, heavens forbid, Vincent's; it was still growing to become a nuisance. A nice trim to make it shorter would surly help.

Saving those thoughts for after they managed to save the planet; he really just wanted to best ShinRa, Inc and knock the crazed General off of his fucking mile-high pedestal. Then he could go back to working on maintaining the Number Twenty-Six rocket and hopefully making it into space. For the meantime, he was content traveling around with a bunch of people that were a bag of peanuts short of a fucking circus. Picking up a few tools, Cid began to work on a miniaturized version of a new engine. If he could get this one to work, he could radically change the standard practices of flight and bright it into the modern century. He could revolutionize the field and make it so flying would be obtained by more and more people, turning it into a multi-billion gil industry. People needed more efficient and cheaper ways to travel across the fucking planet other than two goddamn ferries. Hell, once of them only went from Junon to Costa Del Sol, the other from Rocket Town to Bone Village. Fucking useless.

Hell, it might make the brat happy; he could potentially get more tourists to her poor-ass town and might pick up the amount of materia she can swipe off of unsuspecting people. Hell, business might even boom to the point where she won't need to steal. Then again, it was Yuffie; she would always steal from people even if she did not have to. Fucking thievin' ninja brat.

Cid continued to work on the small parts of his motor, turning it on every once in a while and gritting his teeth when something stuck; gears not slicking together correctly and causing an ungodly screech to come from the device. Huffing, the pilot turned it off before fishing out a cigarette and slipping it between his lips, teeth clamping down around the defenseless fag before he looked around himself for a tube of grease. He was not foolish enough to lit the cigarette; not only because of the threat of lighting a lighter or match in a greasy and potentially hazardous situation. More from the fact that he did not want to risk setting his crotch on fire from falling ash. Always had to keep an eye out for that when sitting cross-legged and smoking absentmindedly Always made for a painful time.

Grinning around the cigarette, Cid picked up a bottle of the black grease and fought to open the bottle for a while. Once he had managed to wrestle it open, the blonde dipped his fingers into the chilly and thick grease before scooping it up and slathering up the small engine. He made sure that it was turned off before doing so; another little fact to remember. Never stick fingers into moving objects, not only will it hurt but moving metal gets hot faster than one might expect. Slicking up anything that his fingers could feel the blonde pilot wiped his greasy fingers across his pants, leaving black smears across the blue fabric before turning on the device and watching carefully to see where it was seizing. Blue eyes narrowed when it looked like one of the parts had fallen loose.

He turned off the engine once more before grabbing a variety of tools, setting each on across his thighs before working on removing parts to reach the loose parts. After they were tightened, Cid set upon reattaching the other gears and parts, making sure everything was in place once more before turning it one again. Lips parted in a snarl once it seized up once more, gears clicking but not moving. What the fuck was wrong with it now?

Cid was brought out of his thoughts when a chill ran its way up his spine. Something was wrong. Dearly, dearly wrong. Turning off the device, the pilot rose to his feet right before Yuffie barreled into him, knocking the stocky pilot right on his ass, grunting when he landed on a few of his hard tools. "Vinny hates me!" the ninja sobbed loudly as she wrapped her arms tightly around the blonde man. He was not sure what to do; surely she was kidding. The brunette seemed to have a difficult time hating people; ignoring them he did as though it were as simple as fucking breathing though.

"There, there," the pilot said before patting her head gently. "Get the fuck off of me; got a wrench diggin' in my lower back." The ninja sniffled as she moved off of the blonde, looking at him with large, watery eyes. Rising to his feet, the pilot sighed before looking at the pathetic woman. "Now, what the fuck did ya do?"

A pair of fliers flew at his head before Cid had enough sense to duck, clipping him in the temple and gashing his head open. "You're an insensitive jerk!" the Wutaian girl cried out before stomping away.

"Fuckin' menstrual bitch!" the pilot seethed in return, his greasy hand reaching up to prod the bleeding wound with a wince. Damn it, why the fuck were women so goddamn emotional? Grumbling, the pilot hurried after the girl. "Would ya stop throwin' a goddamn hissy fit an' jus' tell me what the fuck ya did to make the pasty fucker hate ya?"

"I didn't do anything!" the brunette woman practically screamed as she turned around and pointed a finger at the pilot, reminding him of an animal that was about to pounce. "How dare you accuse me of doing something wrong when this is your entire fault!"

"Oh, well excuse me for assume a damned thief had somethin' to do- The fuck do ya mean this is my fault?"

"Oh, like you don't know!" the brunette ninja cried before stomping off, leaving the blonde standing there in confusion. It was like a giant hurricane had come by and swept everything away, leaving him to just stand by the wreckage wondering where the fuck that had come from. There were no signs and sure as hell were no explanations. If only the twit had told him how Vincent hating her was his fault. It was not like he was running around like a female teenager spreading gossipy lies about the self-proclaimed ninja. Sure, she was an airhead but anyone who spent more than two seconds with her could figure that out. Not like he needed to sound the fucking alarms!

It had to do something with Vincent that was for sure. Grumbling to himself, Cid turned around before beginning to put away all of his tools. There was no way he was going to be able to work on his prototypes in peace with the girl sobbing around like a middle-aged heartbroken woman because some pasty-faced vampire shot her down on a forced date. Maybe if she asked him instead of dragging his silent ass into broad daylight it would have gone better? Is that what she meant when she said that it was his fault? It was not like he forced the girl to drag the lanky fucker into public. Something about the man screamed that he would rather hide somewhere dark and quiet rather than be paraded around town like a goddamn freak.

The only way that he was going to get some sort of answer that did not include two-fucking weeks of listening to hysterical sobbing was to talk to the fucking gothic kid himself. Seriously, like he did not have better things to do with his time? He still had to stalk the bastard for fuck's sake! Locking his toolbox, the blonde reached for his lighter before setting the tip of his cigarette on fire and taking a long drag. He was going to need a strong nicotine fix to try to cajole words out of the pasty man without trying to club him over the head with a wrench. Turning around, the pilot nearly bit his cigarette in half when he saw the man in question standing a mere foot away and staring at him coolly with a burning red stare. He could not tell where or not the man was upset with him or not just by his stare but the amount of frights that the leather-wearing weirdo was giving him was shaving more years off of his lifespan than booze and cigarettes combined!

"You are bleeding," the brunette murmured softly, the dark voice startling the pilot again. Only when he was expecting silence did the creep talk! Hell, did he already die?

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	11. Chapter 11

Title: Stalking Follies

Summary: Cid just wanted to find out more about the silent man that stalked the halls of the Highwind. It was not his fault that the vampire would not give up the information willingly...

Warnings: Drinking, smoking, swearing, drug use, eventual yaoi, etc...

Disclaimer: ...I die a little every time I have to say this: I do not own them.

Grumbling to himself, the pilot stared back defiantly at the man that calmly stared at him. Red eyes looked away as the brunette turned around before walking out of the room and waiting on the other side of the door. Ha! He finally beat the silent fucker at his own game! Grinning happily, the blonde followed the brunette gunner out of the room, raising an eyebrow when they made it to the medical bay. Now, he might be blonde but he sure as fuck was not stupid. The lanky fucker did not appear to have any problems; no limping, swaying, bleeding... The only reason that he would have to silently lead the pilot to the medical wing was if he was planning on making sure that the blonde man did not go without attention. He was a caring bastard...but a bastard nonetheless. Crimson eyes flicked their attention back to the pilot, making his skin crawl as the man just waited.

Huffing, Cid stomped into the medical wing before rummaging through the first aid kit, plucking out a bottle of alcohol and a bandage. "Ain't need a fuckin' candy striper to watch over me, Val," the pilot informed him as he looked into the mirror. It just looked worse than it was with all of the blood; head wounds always bled like a stuck pig. Prying open the bottle of alcohol, the blonde had every intention of just tilting his head back and pouring it over his face when the glass bottle was quickly plucked away by metallic fingers. sharp tips clicked against the thick glass as the gunner stared at their reflections in the mirror. Glaring at the reflection that the gunner had, the blonde opened his mouth to give him a snarky remark just to be silenced when he was pushed down to sit in a chair. Well, not completely silenced...

"Oomph!" the blonde let out as his back and buttocks met with the very uncomfortable plastic chair. "The fuck was that for? I ain't going to fuck this shit up, Val! Been dressin' tiny wounds since ya were still a white blob in the fuckin' chamber!" A dark eyebrow raised to nearly touch the red fabric that was wrapped around the gunner's head before he moved closer to the pilot, grabbing the entire medical kit. Crouching beside the blonde man, Vincent set the metal box onto his lap before gently removing the pilot's flight goggles with his gloved hand. Setting the item on the pilot's lap, he gently cupped the shorter man's face before tilting his head. Cid had the good grace not to cause to much of a ruckus as the tall man examined the wound before releasing his face, turning his attention to the first aid kit and looking around for certain objects. Blue eyes looked down in time to see the brunette man take a sterile cloth and disinfect it with the alcohol before dabbing it against the open wound, wiping away the blood slowly while killing any bacteria in the wound. The blonde was certain that there had to be some; it was one of his work tools, for fuck's sake.

Nodding slightly once the wound was clean, the brunette man set the cloth aside before pulling out a needle and thread, metallic fingers holding the needle still while his other fingers slipped the thread through the eyelet. Oh, fuck no! Did that son of a bitch think that he was coming near his face with a goddamn needle and thread? One fucking sneeze and he could be using an eye patch for the rest of his goddamn life! "Hey, Val-"

"You need stitches," the deep voice countered as he cupped Cid's face once more. "Stay still." Part of Cid wanted to haul off and pop the brunette bastard in the jaw for implying that he was antsy. Hell, any-fucking-one would feel the same if they had the silent motherfucker coming at their face with a goddamn needle. It was going to give him fucking nightmares, he was sure of it. Another part of Cid screamed for him to stay still; conjuring up images of parrots on shoulders and peg legs. Staying as still as he could managed, the pilot took long, slow breaths while trying to calm his nerves. Maybe the fuckhead knew what the fuck he was doing and would not turn him into the Captain Hook of the sky... He could feel the muscles around his left eye twitching when the needle pricked his skin, the hair on the nape of his neck standing up as a chill ran up his spine. Damn, that was fucking weird. No one should feel thread running through their flesh unless hopped up on the best fucking drugs that modern medicine had to offer!

Once the brunette tied a knot at the end of the thread, he set down the needle before pulling out an antibacterial cream, applying a small amount to the cut before taking out a roll of gauze. What the fuck was he going to do with that? It was a fucking small cut! Hell, he cut himself worse when shaving! ...Well, when he actually found the time to get around to shaving... The fucking weirdo was going to wrap his goddamn head like he was a mummy or a guy that just had his skull cracked open and his brains prodded at! No fucking way in hell was he going to let this happen!

Almost as if he could sense the goddamn storm that was brewing, like a fucking cat, the brunette man turned his gaze upon the blonde pilot, fixing his with a level stare before wrapping the roll of gauze around his head multiple times. Crazy bastard. It was a tiny ass nick and the fucker was treating him like he was going to fall apart because of it. All it needed as a bit of alcohol and a goddamn Band-Aid not a whole fucking roll of gauze! Nimble fingers tied off the end of the roll before the brunette examined his handiwork. He seemed to be please with himself as he put away the materials, making sure all of the contents of the first aid fit in the box before putting it away.

Curiosity and tact be damned, Cid wanted answers. "What the fuck did ya do, Val?" the pilot asked as he crossed his arms in front of his chest, trying his best to stare levelly at the gunner in return. Finding it difficult to do, he settled with a glare. Silence met him and the blonde man was damned sure that the lanky bastard was just doing it to fuck with him instead of having nothing to say or even thinking about what he had to say. Determined not to give in, he continued to stare at the brunette man that watched him with a collected calm that made the blonde's stomach churn. Goddammit. Even when he had done nothing wrong and had nothing to be ashamed of, the towering motherfucker still made him feel like he was waiting for some goddamn apology for something that he had done wrong. And he was pretty damn sure that he did nothing wrong!

Sky-blue eyes blinked when Vincent suddenly rose from his chair, put away the first aid kit, and walked out of the room as silently as his clacking, loud-ass boots would allow him to. Gaping, Cid's mind scrambled to process what had just happened. The fucker was walking away from a simple question? "Hey!" the pilot snapped as he jumped to his feet, letting out a curse when he knocked over the chair that he was just sitting on. He was tempted to pick it up but that thought faltered when he remembered just how tall the vampire-looking man was. He could be out of sight within seconds if he decided to run. Ignoring the toppled chair, the blonde man ran out of the room, just barely catching the sight of red fabric turning a corner.

Taking off after it, the blonde pilot rounded the corner just to run smack dab into Cloud, both blonde men toppling to the floor in a heap of limbs. "Son of a bitch!" the pilot sneered, his face pressed flat against the floor.

"...Ow..." Cloud muttered before trying to untangle himself from the pilot. Once they were both free of their awkward embrace, the swordsman rose to his feet before helping Cid up. "Everything all right, Captain?"

"Yeah, yeah," Cid muttered as he whipped his head around, looking for any sign of the elusive fucker. How the hell did he manage that shit? There was no goddamn way that the man vanished into thin air or fucking turned into Cloud! Granted, they were all pale and could use a couple of days baking in the sun, but Vincent was far paler that the shorter blonde. Still, with all of that dark leather and vibrant red cloth, there would be no fucking way in hell that the pasty bastard could blend in with the machine grey that made up the entirety of his aircraft! Just how in the fuck did he do that?

"...Are you sure, Captain? You look like you were running from something..."

"'Ey! I don't fuckin' run from nothin', kid!"

"...Okay... Were you running towards something?"

"Yeah! Ya fuckin' see the tall vampire come stalkin' through here?"

Frowning, Cloud shook his head, "No one was walking here but me. Are you sure you're all right?" All right, something was fucking going on; there was no fucking way that he could have seen the red cloth of the jerk-off's cloak and follow it just to run into the spiky-haired kid who did not even see the pasty-faced bastard. There was definitely something up with his teammate and he was the fucking Captain of this airship! There would be no fucking secrets from him when he had a say in the matter! Waving off the swordsman's attempts to check his head, the pilot stomped back to his room, sulking silently as he sat down on his bed. How the fuck did he get the one-up on him? He was not slow, he was a goddamn rocket scientist! Yet, at every fucking turn, without a goddamn fault, the gothic kid was fucking with his head.

But how? There was no way he could have given him the slip so fast...

Sneering, the pilot tore through his bureau until he managed to find the designs for the Highwind, other schematics, drawing utensils, and blank sheets scattered about his floor as if a bomb had gone off in his room. Finding the location of where the medic bay was, the pilot spread out all the various sheets across his floor, kneeling in front of them and examining their location from every angle. If there was any fucking way that the fucking emo could escape him, he sure as fuck was going to find it! Placing markers on every level of the schematics, he quickly mapped out where he and Vincent were coming from and where their leader was coming from.

Blue eyes narrowed before he knocked the markers off of the papers. No fucking way! There was no fucking way! His anger kicked up another notch and the pilot rose to his feet, quickly grabbing a cigarette and clamping it through his teeth, setting the item on fire before taking a long drag. Trying to calm himself down, the pilot carefully set new markers down for where they all were once more, trying to see exactly where the man had run off to and how he had managed to vanish. Sneering around his cigarette, the rubbed his temples.

There was no fucking way.

No twists, no goddamn turns, no ventilation shafts that the lanky fucker could have wriggled into and hid in.

...He had fucking vanished. Vanished into fucking air in a matter of seconds without anyone seeing him do it.

Son of a bitch.

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	12. Chapter 12

Title: Stalking Follies

Summary: Cid just wanted to find out more about the silent man that stalked the halls of the Highwind. It was not his fault that the vampire would not give up the information willingly...

Warnings: Drinking, smoking, swearing, drug use, eventual yaoi, etc...

Disclaimer: ...I die a little every time I have to say this: I do not own them.

* * *

><p>The goddamn man had fucking vanished into thin air. He knew what he had seen; the fucking tattered ends of the lurking fuckers cloak had gone around that corner! Cid was sure of it. Nothing else could have imitated that telltale ripple of dingy red fabric that had been torn to fucking hell and dragged through the dirt and dust more times than he'd taken a step with his own boots. There was nothing that he could have mistaken for that image. The pilot was not one for decorating; especially when it came to the interior of his baby. He focused on the mechanics of getting his pride and joy to run, not what kind of curtains would match with the goddamn sheets on the bed. Besides, it was not like there was a lot of blood red items on board that moved.<p>

In fact, the statistical odds of something being that exact shade of red and moving in the same goddamn direction that the resident vampire had run of in just to pull a fucking vanishing act right out of a magic show was goddamn astronomical! Cid huffed as he rolled up the blueprints to the Highwind before securing them with a rubber band and tossing them onto his bed. There was no possible way that the man had gone anywhere else and there was no doubt that he was going in that direction.

There was something off with that gangly fucker. Now, Cid Highwind was a man of science; a man who, if given enough time and materials, could find a damn reason behind anything and build something spectacular. He did not believe in mystics and the supernatural. There was always a reason behind everything; motives moved people and explained all reactions that someone would express, physics and basic science explained what went on in the world and how it could be used to assist people in the advancement of their knowledge.

But this...

This goddamn thing stumped him.

Rising to his feet, the blonde pilot began to pace.

It made no goddamn sense; humans could run, but not so fast that they could not be seen. He was able to follow Vincent so he definitely was no running that fast. He had just lost him around the corner where he ran into Cloud. The spiky-haired kid did not even see the leather-clad weirdo at all, let alone running around a sharp corner. And, as far as he was concerned, the chance of the gunslinger turning into the leader of their group was even lower than the odds that he would give up tea and cigarettes for one whole day. So, there had to be some sort of logical explanation. Simply writing it off as the lanky twit being a goddamn marvel of the paranormal was unacceptable!

...Even if it would make his life SO much easier.

Grumbling to himself, Cid strode out of his room, making sure that he had grabbed one of the packages of cigarettes that Vincent had previously given to him. He needed some fresh air and a goddamn smoke. God, how he needed a smoke. The blonde practically ran through the hallways on his way to the deck; he would have actually run if he had even a slim chance of not being stopped by one of the crazies that he was travelling with and unrelentingly questioned as to why he was running in the first place. Once he could breathe the fresh air that was blown around the deck, the blonde man made his way to the railing before sitting on the paneling and dangling his legs over the edge. He had only managed to light his cigarette before he could feel that he was not alone.

And damned if he did not know who was the one on the deck with him. It had to have been the black shadow that was without a doubt lurking through the goddamn halls and putting on a fucking magic show in his goddamn hallways! He was certain of it seeing how he was not immediately pestered about ruining the environment with his smoking or his other bad habits...even though they were not nearly as bad as some of the atrocities that he had been unfortunate enough to bear witness to while being cramped in small places with the ragtag group of loons. Honestly, who the fuck needed that much mayonnaise on a fucking sandwich? It should never run down your face when eating it! Ugh.

But that was besides the point. The only people who do not complain about someone smoking all the goddamn time was someone who was a smoker themselves. Granted, he would have never pegged the lanky creep as a guy who sucked ash, but he had seen weirder things while traveling with the so-called terrorists against ShinRa.

Slipping the filter between his lips, Cid sucked heavily on the fag before fishing a second one out of his pocket and lighting it, holding out as he heard the clacking of the gunslinger's boots against the deck, stopping near him before the cigarette was daintily plucked from his fingers. Going back to ignoring Vincent, not that he had even looked in the man's direction yet, the pilot focused on the lush landscape in front of him. If the brunette thought that he was fucking forgiven for disappearing faster than a sugary treat in front of Yuffie, he was fucking sadly mistaken. He was acting childish, but so was the Gothic kid for not even bothering to-

"I was not gentle," the deep voice murmured to Cid's left, effectively startling him out of his thoughts and making the blonde wonder if the somber man could actually hear the thoughts rambling around in his head. Science, being the only thing constant and reasonable, dictated that there was no possible way that the brunette could sense the activity in his brain and decipher it though his skull to make out the articulate thoughts that came from his lobes. It comforted him a little bit to think of their situation scientifically.

"What do ya mean?" Cid asked against his better judgment. He knew that it would have been better if he just stayed silent but it went against every bit of niggling curiosity in his body. He would deny it if ever asked, but he desperately wanted to know what the fuck the lanky man had said to not only get the bratty, self-proclaimed ninja angry at him while sobbing her loss of the Gothic gunner. It was not like he outwardly did anything to break up their relationship before it even started. Hell, if memory served correct he was the one who got her to drag the vampire out on a date against his will! That did not warrant a pair of pliers being chucked at his fucking face!

"I. Was. Not. Gentle." Vincent repeated as though he was speaking to a slow child that did not fully understand him. Rolling his eyes, Cid turned his head to look at the brunette man while he blew out a mouthful of smoke. "...Yuffie."

Blue eyes widened almost comically as he gaped at the mysterious gunner, his cigarette nearly falling out of his mouth.

No fucking way.

Vincent Vampire Valentine was not gentle with the ninja? Not gentle as in: "took her presumed virginity," not gentle? What the fuck had happened on that date? Oh, fuck. Hopefully he had remembered to use a goddamn condom! There was no way that he was having a motion sick, pregnant, pain in the ass trying to fight off Sephiroth on his watch! God!

...Wait...

Why would she be so upset with him if Vincent was the one to pop her cherry?

He sure as fuck was not going to be around to hold the brunette's dick or some other crazy shit that went down on that horrible date. Well, maybe it was not horrible; the brunette had gotten laid. Means that he had gotten back on that horse after being pried out of a goddamn coffin. But still; Yuffie?

"Did ya at least wear a condom?" the pilot quipped before he could stop himself. Clear blue eyes twinkled with amusement when he heard a soft cough come from the gunner standing beside him. Did he just make the man snort smoke? That had to suck. It was still amusing, though.

"...No." The other man's voice sounded put-off and quite disgusted but Cid could not tell if it was directed towards him or himself, so he pressed on without giving it much thought.

"Oh, come on, Val! Haven't ya ever been to a health class? Ya can't always prevent pregnancy by just pullin' out, an' by God, I hope to fuck all that ya pulled out an' didn't believe her if she said that she was on the pill!"

"Chief..."

"You believed her? Have you lost your goddamn mind? Fuckin' hell! I ain't buyin' any goddamn pregnancy tests just 'cause ya'll are too fuckin' stupid to keep it in your goddamn pants on yer first fuckin' date, Val!"

The next thing that Cid registered was a hand fisting the fabric of his shirt right below his clavicle before hauling him to his feet. His mind did not even register that his cigarette had fallen from his lips and rolled off of the deck before falling to the ground when he was suddenly manhandled. He also missed that the man had grabbed him with his right hand instead of his left, making sure not to tear through shirt and skin alike.

Instead, all Cid could focus on the bright red eyes that were suddenly very close to his own blue orbs as something soft pressed against his slightly chapped lips, making the pilot's mind scramble to put together all of the pieces.

He was grabbed and pulled to his feet.

Okay, that made sense; they were talking about how he could have slept with Yuffie on their first date and maybe he had managed to piss the brunette off so much that he was going to hit him? Sure, that made sense.

The brunette had leaned down to his level.

It made a little less sense when compared to his thoughts about getting hit. The brunette would not have to lean down to beat the tar out of him. Something was wrong.

Something soft pressed against his lips and the red eyes were very, very close to his face.

His first theory was aborted. None of that made sense in light of this new development. Given the close proximity and that fact that-

Oh fuck.

Fuck!

He was being kissed by Vincent!

As soon as this thought was processed through his brain and all of the gears in his head were smoothly running after that sudden hitch, Cid came to realize that he was standing alone on the deck, his lips still warm and lacking a cigarette while the front of his shirt was bunched unnaturally. Okay, he had just had a gay moment with the man who he had just accused to have had slept with the youngest member in their group.

Not all that unnatural.

...Okay, that was a fucking lie! This was a goddamn disaster! He was kissed by the man that he was supposed to be stalking, a man that fucked Yuffie none too gently! Unless...

Unless the resident spook did not actually sleep with her. He did something roughly, though. Something that involved him that would make the young girl sob inconsolably and try to take his head off with pliers.

...And for the life of him, Cid could not figure it out!

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I'm so sorry for the lack of updates on my part; shit happened. One the plus side; I have fixed my Lenovo and can work on my typing over the weekend so something can be posted by Monday; I have seventy (yes, that's right: seven-zero) new plot-bunnies/sharks on my back so I better get to work, no? (See, I did not just sit around on my time-off! I've been plotting!) I promise to update more frequently (starting on Monday, October 17, 2011). Thank ya'll for all the lovely reviews you send my way; I really appreciate it!

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	13. Chapter 13

Title: Stalking Follies

Summary: Cid just wanted to find out more about the silent man that stalked the halls of the Highwind. It was not his fault that the vampire would not give up the information willingly...

Warnings: Drinking, smoking, swearing, drug use, eventual yaoi, etc...

Disclaimer: ...I die a little every time I have to say this: I do not own them.

* * *

><p>And then the walking away, leaving a lit cigarette and a stunned pilot in his wake. Wide blue eyes blinked stupidly as his mind reeled; the gears whirring loudly as he tried to process the new information in a way that would make sense.<p>

Okay; at first Vincent had said that he was not gentle with Yuffie. Which, in and of itself, is not very descriptive. The vampire did not offer up any new information, just merely repeated himself. Because of that, Cid had jumped to the next logical conclusion that the gunner was talking about having slept with the annoying girl. After all, the brunette did not deny it; he did not confirm it, but he did not deny it! And, really, nothing else came to mind when he tried to think of what the gangly man could have possibly done to the brat to make her such a raging psychopath. But it also had to do with him and that made absolutely no fucking sense to him.

So, Vincent and Yuffie has rough sex and yet somehow the girl was pissed up enough at him to be sobbing hysterically as she chucked a pair of pliers at his head. For some reason that he did not even know of.

Oh, and the leather enthusiast swapped spit with him.

...For some goddamn unknown reason.

So, something had to have happened between the ill-fated date, having the over-emotional Wutaian girl toss his pair of pliers at his face, having Vincent wrap his head like a mother hen, and having said man kiss him in a non-manly way. Something big. ...Something that neither one of them were going to tell him, apparently.

...And he had somehow worked back to the thought that he absolutely had to stalk the weirdo. Grumbling softly, the blonde looked around on the deck, teeth grinding together as his blue eyes raked over the paneling. He had dropped his cigarette, that much he knew; it had to have landed somewhere! Unable to find the small item, the blonde pilot ground out a string of expletives before resigning to the fact that he would have to use up another cigarette. Pulling out another fag, the pilot grumbled as he lit the end and sucked heavily on the filter, quickly going through the length of the item before pulling it from his lips and flicking it over the railing.

With his nerves calmed down from the sudden rush of nicotine, Cid felt that he could manage to accomplish the impossible task of following the secretive fucker around the Highwind through the night. It would be one hell of a task, though; he would have to manage to follow the wacko without being heard. ...Perhaps he should start practicing? But how the fuck does one practice stalking the walking dead?

Slowly walking back inside the Highwind, Cid made sure to keep on the lookout for any sign of black leather or red fabric as he made his way back to the kitchen, mentally preparing himself for how he was going to go about with his plan. It was not like the man could easily hide; he stuck out like a sore thumb amongst their fellow travelers. Then again, he stuck out like a sore thumb anywhere; the man could not blend in to save his fucking life. What he could do, however, was vanish into thin air leaving the blonde pilot confused as to exactly how he had managed to do such a thing.

The man was a fucking marvel of mystery and Cid was determine to unravel him. Opening the refrigerator in the kitchen, the blonde fished through contents, pulling out simple items to make a sandwich and startling when he turned to close the door and found Yuffie glaring venomously at him.

"I didn't fuckin' do anythin'," the blonde sneered before fixing his sandwich, content to just ignore the sullen girl and eat before resuming his stalking plans. God, that sounded so disturbed. "Ain't my fault if ya chose to lose yer virginity to a guy that ain't gentle enough fer yer womanly needs," the blonde continued as he took a large bite out of his sandwich before grimacing; the bologna had obviously gone bad. When he turned to throw out the offending meal and spit out the contents of his mouth, the aviator caught sight of the brunette ninja's face turning bright red as she fumed. Grabbing a bottle of beer to wash away the horrible taste, the Captain quickly took a gulp of the frothy liquid before grunting in pain; a throbbing, sharp ache had settled in his loins, nearly causing the man to fall to the ground. "Fuck!" he wheezed, luckily having enough of a mind to set the beer onto the counter before cupping himself and doubling over slightly.

"You creepy PERVERT!" the Wutaian girl shrieked as she clenched her fists. "We didn't sleep together!"

Even in his pain-filled, hazy mind, the blonde could not help but wonder just what the fuck was going on his life. A few months ago, he was calmly; all right, not so calmly; living back in Rocket Town as honorary mayor of the quaint town that had very little problems if one excluded ShinRa's sticky fingers. Now... Now he was trapped with the weirdest group of wing nuts that ever stumbled into his little town. And one of them just kicked him in the balls for assuming that Vincent had plowed down her cherry tree with a fucking bulldozer. What the fuck was he supposed to think? It's not like the man clarified anything for him! Grinding his teeth together, the blonde man glared at the fuming girl. "Swear ta fuck, brat, I'm gonna throw yer sorry ass over the fuckin' railin' once I catch ya!"

At the threat, Yuffie seemed to forget her anger and send a nervous grin his way before turning tail and bolting out of the kitchen as fast as her thin legs could carry her. Cid, breathed heavily through his nose as he hobbled over to the kitchen table before carefully lowering himself into one of the chairs, teeth clenched together the entire time. For such a pain in the ass she could really become a pain in the crotch as well. Gently massaging his aching member, the blonde hissed before setting his head down onto the hard surface of the table.

All right; so his earlier assumption had been wrong. Vincent had not slept with Yuffie. ...So why the hell would the vampire let him walk around thinking that they had? And why the fuck would he kiss him after letting him come to the undisputed conclusion that he had jumped into the sack with the world's most annoying ninja? It hardly seemed fair or even practical to let him wander around with disturbingly wrong thoughts wandering about in his head! Hell, the living scarecrow had to have fucking known that he was going to talk to the ninja about it; she fucking tossed his pliers at his face!

...But if Vincent did not actually sleep with her, what the fuck did he do to her that was not gentle? It had to be something that involved him, something that turned her into an emotional wreck, and something that did not seem to concern Vincent all that much. And that part made absolutely no fucking sense. Cid did not do anything to her except for encouraging her to drag the gangly motherfucker out into the alienated city for a date. Perhaps he had said something to her as revenge? Hell, the guy had to have known that he was set up for a date against his will; he sabotaged his own date for no goddamn reason.

Well, unless he did not like the brat. Which, he could not really blame the gunner; she was quite a handful and tended to grate on his last nerve without doing much other than opening her big mouth and complaining about things. ...Okay, he could see how that date could have become uncomfortable and let the brunette man yearning to flee for the sake of his own sanity. Still did not mean that he had to drag him into it!

Once the pain between his legs had faded, the pilot grabbed his beer and finished it before taking something to snack on while he headed back to his own room, waiting for nightfall so the other members of the group had fallen asleep. Sitting in the dark of his room, the blonde pilot listened carefully for any sounds outside of his room. Hearing nothing, Cid carefully rolled out of his bed, making sure not to make too much noise as the old springs protested at the movement. Once he was on both feet, the blonde man carefully crept towards his dresser, putting on a few pairs of socks and hopping that the extra material would help to muffle the sounds of his footsteps.

Making sure that he was prepared, the pilot crept over to his bathroom and made sure that he did not reek of grease and smoke while not smelling overly like soap or deodorant. If he used to much of the stuff he was certain that the leather-wearing weirdo would easily find him by scent alone. Satisfied that he smelled less like himself but not too much like a bar of soap, the blonde headed towards the door to his room, slowly opening it as quietly as he could. He did not need to alert everyone of what he was trying to accomplish by waking them all up because he could not be quiet.

The pilot ran his tongue over the front of his teeth, the nervous feeling in his stomach causing him to crave a smoke right then and there but he knew that he could not do anything about it right away. Instead, the pilot cautiously closed his door behind him and padded down the hallways, making sure that the silent man that he was stalking was not lurking in any of the common areas. Everything was silent and dark, yet the blonde had yet to see any glowing red eyes peering through the darkness so he was sure that all was clear. Giving the engine room a quick glance, the pilot froze at a soft shuffling in the room. The engines were turned down for the night so his companions and staff could get a good night's sleep in total silence so there was no reason behind any noise in the room.

Smirking to himself, the blonde slowly made his way along the walls of the room as he crouched down, trying to keep out of sight as he looked around the dark room. Hoping to have finally found what the lanky man was doing with all of his free time, Cid continued to make his way into the room, grateful that he could remember the layout even in the dark. A chill ran through his spine as he paused, wondering if it was the best of ideas; spying on his quirky companion could be considered to be a large violation of trust.

...Then again, he was being isolated by the close-lipped motherfucker. Trust be damned, he wanted to know what the man's deal was!

Exhaling softly, the blonde steeled his nerves before continuing into the room, frowning when he made his way back to the entrance. He had circled to outskirts of the room and came up empty; maybe the whack-job was hiding from him? But how could he have known that he was not alone? Grinding his teeth together, the blonde crept back into the room, his blue eyes looking around the entirety of the room before he looked up and froze.

Two glowing red orbs stared back at him from the ceiling as soft breathing met his ears.

Well, day one of stalking Vincent fucking Valentine had been a complete and utter failure.

...If only he could think of a way to explain his way out of this...

Review for more.

Thanks for reviewing:

**Inuobsessed004**: Ha! Well, this is Cid; he focuses on the odd parts.

**BasilMacVae**: Heh.

**ABNORMAL2110**: Getting there; I've been...well, fucked in the head. You never know how mental you are until you're on drugs. Heh, that Vincent will be!

**JeanzzStyx**: Aww, thanks! Will try.

**IForgotIT**: (Chapter 2) Heh, indeed!

**IForgotIT**: (Chapter 4) Thanks; it's not too hard for me.

**IForgotIT**: (Chapter 12) Aww, thanks!

**IForgotIT**: (Chapter 12) Sorry; I've been a bit slow as of late.

**Lady-Crymsyn**: Aww, thanks!


	14. Chapter 14

Title: Stalking Follies

Summary: Cid just wanted to find out more about the silent man that stalked the halls of the Highwind. It was not his fault that the vampire would not give up the information willingly...

Warnings: Drinking, smoking, swearing, drug use, eventual yaoi, etc...

Disclaimer: ...I die a little every time I have to say this: I do not own them.

* * *

><p>Okay, there had to be some fucking method to talk his way out of this... "Uh...hey there, Spooky," the pilot said before the words had even registered in his mind. Son of a bitch. Just what the fuck was wrong with his head recently? It was like the fucking pliers had knocked some of his brains out of his head. Honestly, he was a goddamn rocket scientist, not some goddamn schoolgirl that rambled aimlessly around her crush! Not that he was crushing on the vampire. ...Or a schoolgirl. Fuck, now that was going to haunt his fucking dreams. Taking a step back, the pilot watched as the gunner dropped from the ceiling before landing on his feet directly before him in a kneeling position.<p>

He was not sure just how the fuck he had done it, but Vincent made it seem like he floated down from the ceiling gently and hardly made a sound as he hit the floor, his boots clacking softly on the metal floor. It made no fucking sense; the guy sure was skinny as fuck, but the living popsicle-stick man sure had to have some weight on him with all the fucking metal and leather that he wore on a daily basis. Logic and science dictated that he would fall faster and land harder on the ground than he did. There was either something fucking wrong with the guy or his perception of time had become severely fucked up. ...It was really a tossup over which one was more likely to be correct.

...The fucking vampire kid was staring at him in the exact same way that he had been staring at him since those whackos tried, and succeeded, to hijack in plane.

And damn if it was not fucking unnerving!

"So..." the pilot began to say while part of him hoped that the gangly weirdo would fucking open his mouth and finally hold a goddamn conversation with him. The rest of him, however, was hoping that the fucking floor would open up underneath him and swallow him whole to simply put him out of his goddamn embarrassment. Honestly, how the fuck had he not managed to notice the wing nut hanging upside-down on the fucking ceiling? The fucking guy was rumored to have been in a coffin and all of the horror movies that he had watched as a child portrayed vampires as undead, bloodthirsty creatures of the night who feasted upon blood, slept in coffins, and, when there was no coffin around for them to sleep in, the undead bloodsuckers hung upside-down in a tree until the sun was going to rise.

...Maybe the goofy-looking, emo-Goth kid was trying to act like a vampire? ...Or was a day walker...Dhampir...whatever the fuck the children of vampires and human called themselves.

Nah, that was ridiculous.

The guy was just fucking crazy. ...But people were not born crazy. So, in order to find out exactly what had possessed the loony fuck to think it was a good idea to act like some fucking vampire, Cid had to stalk him some more. Getting caught once was not going to discourage him. Okay, it discouraged him a little; the pilot had an ego and enjoyed having his accomplishments stroke it. Being caught so quickly out of the gate was like a fucking kick in the balls. Unpleasant, painful, and a damn ego deflator. But it would not stop him.

Narrowing his eyes at the tall brunette that continued to stare at him, the pilot spun on his heels before storming out of the engine room. If the lanky dork was not going to speak to him he sure as fuck was not going to just stand there and stare at him all fucking night! Heading back into his room, the pilot decided that he would call this night a failure and revise his tactics during the day before trying them again on another night. Nodding to himself, the pilot walked through the hallways as he ambled into his room, not bothering to change into something else before he flopped down on his bed and buried his face into his pillow, looking very much like a sobbing girl. Grunting at his own thoughts, the blonde man rolled over onto his back and stared up at the ceiling in his dark room.

So, the Goth spent his nights in the engine room instead of in his bedroom; it made sense seeing how when he went to return the gunner's lighter he was nowhere in sight. But why the fuck would he be on the ceiling on the engine room? As far as he could tell, not a single one of those pansy-ass crazies that he was traveling with had even the slightest interest in mechanics or science. Even though they were chasing after a crazy fucking scientist's son and trying to protect the planet. The fucking idiots.

Half the time he was certain that the blonde muscle that was currently leading their little group did not have any fucking clue of where the fuck they were supposed to find General Sociopath. All the chocobos on the fucking planet would not be able to help the airhead in finding the silver-haired lunatic. More often than not, he ended up giving the certifiable blonde suggestions on where to go.

...Wait, why the fuck was he thinking about the spacey leader of Avalanche? Oh yeah, ceilings.

That was one hell of a detour his mind had taken.

But, back to the mute motherfucker.

The guy did not look like he was very interested in science and he doubted that there was much that the guy could do with his crazy ass left hand being the way that it was. Whatever the fuck happened to it did not matter so much as what the fuck it was replaced with. Man could shred a chocobo into tiny ribbons in seconds if he wanted to. ...Damn it. Back to topic. The guy seemed to have some weird affinity towards hanging out in the engine room. It made no sense. He had never seen Count Shut-Up-Ula ever go in there on his own. Hell, the only places that he had ever seen the brunette go without being asked was the room he was given, the deck, and the control room. Normally he stayed somewhere within earshot of the pilot whenever he was in one of the rooms. This had to be the one time that he broke with protocol. ...But why? There was nothing in the engine room that could have caught his interest.

Sure, his airship was not in the skies during the night, but that did not mean that the machine was turned off for the night; people still needed heat in their rooms and electricity throughout the device. The engine room was loud when his baby was flying through the skies but on the nights where Cid needed to get some shuteye, the engine room, the very heart of his baby, settled down to a soft purr as she relaxed for the night. it would make sense that the gunner would go in there when it was less noisy, but why would he not go to his room, where it would be completely quiet?

It made no fucking sense.

Huffing, the pilot decided that on his next night of attempted stalking he would go straight to the engine room; no need to kill a few hours like he did on this night just by trying to find the lanky fuckhead. Yawning, the pilot closed his eyes before rubbing his face with his bare hands. So it was a plan: he would check the engine room first and make sure to be on the lookout for glowing red eyes in the darkness, be they on the ceiling or not. As he leaned down to pull up his blankets, the pilot could have sworn that he saw the same red eyes staring in through his open door. Scrambling up to his feet, Cid ran over to the door and flicked on his light, casting the dark hallway in a pale yellow glow while his bright blue eyes peered into the darkness.

Huh, Vincent was not there.

He could have sworn on a stack of cigarette cartons that the vampire-wannabe was standing in his doorway. Huffing, the blonde rubbed his eyes again before turning around and closing his door behind him, turning off the light before climbing back into his bed. He was in dire need of sleep if he was imagining that he was seeing the brunette man in his doorway. He had to be projecting; he was stalking the sharpshooter, so he thought that he was being stalked by said sharpshooter. It was all in his head.

That thought did not comfort him as he tried to fall asleep.

Shifting around in his bed in an effort to get comfortable did not ease his mind, which was running rampant with the thought that the lanky gunner was on the other side of the door, not speaking...just...standing there...

Needless to say, it freaked Cid the fuck out and he ended up lying awake in his bed for a few hours before sleep finally claimed his mind like a pedophile would do to a provocative virgin.

Grunting when sunlight hit his eyes, the blonde grabbed his blankets and quickly pulled them over his head, trying to block out the sun and return to his wonderful dreams. Nuzzling his face into his pillow happily, the blonde pilot sighed softly as he began to drift back to sleep. Feeling his body relax, the blonde man was not prepared when he felt something light skittering up the back of his neck. In his sleep hazy mind, the heavily accented man leaped out of his bed while his hands flew to his neck, swatting away the offending feeling with an angry and surprised snarl, "What the fuck?" Looking around, his blue eyes settled on a small spider that quickly scrambled underneath his bed, making the sky-colored eyes twitch. "Son of a bitch..." Grunting, the blonde looked at his bed forlornly before resigning to the fact that he was awake and had to get ready for the day.

Deciding to skip his shower on the basis that he smelled clean enough, the blonde changed his clothes and grabbed his lance before shoving his feet into his boots and trudging out of his room, ambling towards the kitchen. Tea was a must before his morning cigarette...then he would have to seek out Spike and talk to the bubble-minded blonde about where the fuck they were going to go next. He was sure that the blonde was going to just shrug and ask him what he thought. ...And it was going to take a lot of willpower to keep from whacking the kid in the head with his spear. A lot. Walking into the kitchen, the blonde quickly set to making himself a pot of tea before sitting down at the table, propping his feet up and leaning back in his chair while he waited for his little kettle to whistle shrilly in its seductive call for hot tea. God, he loved that kettle.

Closing his eyes, the blonde calmed his breathing while he listened to the sound of the small stove warming up the water in his kettle. If it were not for the faint sounds of laughter and shrieking in the background, Cid could have believed that he was back in Rocket Town and enjoying a quiet day to himself. With the exception of Shera driving him up a fucking wall, that is. ...She was basically Yuffie, Tifa, and Aeris all wrapped into one. A piercing whistle sounded directly behind him, making the blonde smile before getting up and fix himself a cup of tea.

Sitting back into his seat, the blonde happily sipped at his steaming cup of tea, feeling the pent up tension from his impromptu meeting with a small spider slowly melt away. The hot liquid warmed his body and made the pilot feel more at ease; like last night never happened and he had nothing to be embarrassed about. After all, it was not like he was going to run into the lanky gunner any time soon; the guy usually avoided him like the plague. Fucking pain in the ass. He fucking showered! ...Well, not this morning...but he usually showered! So, the Gothic kid could not have been avoiding him simply on the basis that he reeked worse than a woman trying on different perfumes for a date.

Giving up on his thoughts about why the gunner had been avoiding him, Cid finished sipping down his tea before washing his kettle and cup, setting them to the side for when he would want another hot cup of tea later in the day. If there was one thing that was constant in his life, it would have to be his need for tea and cigarettes.

...Speaking of cigarettes...

Humming softly to himself, the blonde quickly fished out a cigarette from the carton in his pocket, not caring that he was in the kitchen when he lit the end and slipped the filter into his mouth, sucking heavily on the end before blowing the smoke out of his nose. Hell, this was his fucking airship and his goddamn kitchen; he could smoke wherever the fuck he wanted! ...Except the engine room. Not because someone else had made a rule for him, nay! ...He simply did not wish to set his baby on fire when that room had the biggest chance of exploding, catching fire, generally going to hell... Adding a lit cigarette to that greasy, oil rag of a room was like asking someone to kick you in the nads. A stupid idea.

And, contrary to what Yuffie liked to believe, Cid Highwind was not a stupid man.

The blonde finished his musings by the time he finished his cigarette; all that remained was a small, sliver of smoldering, cancer-filled goodness and the filter. Stubbing out the burning end on the table, the pilot tossed the carcass of his morning smoke into the trash before getting up and leaving the kitchen. It was weird...something was definitely off this morning and Cid could not figure out what the fuck it was. ...Well, except for being assaulted awake by some goddamn spider. With any luck, that would not be the highlight of his day. But, something was still off. Walking down the hallways as he made his way to the control room, the pilot tried to think of what the fuck was wrong with the morning, besides the spider incident.

Was it his lack of a shower?

Nah, Cid often did not shower in the mornings if he deemed himself "clean enough." He was meant to fix airships and planes and fly the beauties, not smell like a fucking field of flowers!

His tea was the same as usual...

The cigarette was a little off but that was because it was one of Vincent's brands of cigarettes, not his own. But, hey, a fag was a fag and Cid sure as fuck was not going to be choosey when he needed a nicotine fix. Hmm, but that could not have been it; he smoked one of the emo's cigarettes yesterday and there was nothing really off with that day...with the exception of his failed attempt of stalking, that is. ...Not that he usually succeeded when he tried to stalk someone. Agh! Not that he ever stalked anyone! ...That is clearly what he meant...

Was it the giggles from earlier?

It could not have been; the girls are usually up to something so early in the fucking morning and did not stop until the sun had set and they were tired...or menstrual. Fucking women...

Wait...

Realization dawned on the blonde as he looked around the empty hallway he was standing in. Not a morning went by where he could drink his tea and smoke a fag in peace since he was recruited by those fruit loops. And now, after an awkward night with the king of the coffin crawlers, he was suddenly spending his morning in peace and quiet.

...Where the fuck was everyone and what the fuck was going on?

Review for more. Heh, gave ya'll a bit longer chapter than usual. Oops?

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**BasilMacVae**: Does storming away count as running like a bitch? Heh, of course not! Have you not read some of the things that I write? ...My twisted ideas are how I show my love... Ow?

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**ABNORMAL2110**: Heh, he's a true blonde! Here's more for you!

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**Sybranna**: Here's more for you.


	15. Chapter 15

Title: Stalking Follies

Summary: Cid just wanted to find out more about the silent man that stalked the halls of the Highwind. It was not his fault that the vampire would not give up the information willingly...

Warnings: Drinking, smoking, swearing, drug use, eventual yaoi, etc...

Disclaimer: ...I die a little every time I have to say this: I do not own them.

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><p>Grunting the pilot set out to look around in the hopes that he could find someone on his aircraft. Not that he really wanted to find someone. Okay, he wanted to find someone to prove that he was just being paranoid; maybe stalking the brunette vampire was bad for his health if it was going to turn him into a basket case. On the other hand, Cid did not want to find anyone because it meant that he was not losing his mind and that the rest of Avalanche was plotting against him. ...Plotting something... And that something had to be devious because Yuffie was nowhere to be seen.<p>

And wherever that bitching, whining, pitifully pathetic girl was, trouble was quick to follow at her heels.

Gritting his teeth as he huffed, the blonde pilot wandered all throughout the Highwind, making sure to check the engine room before plucking a cigarette out of the slightly crumpled carton in his pocket. Lighting the small item, the blonde sucked heavily on the filter as he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall of the engine room, looking up at the ceiling in case any wacky fuckers were hanging upside-down like a fucking bat again. Seeing no one, the pilot blew smoke out of his nose.

So, he was not crazy; he had been fucking abandoned.

Wondering whether or not he should just take off and leave the inconsiderate asses stranded in fucking Wutai; where they would have to follow the ninja brat to get the fuck off of the island...however the fuck she managed to do it the first time around was beside him. Instead, the blonde decided that he would have some fun on his day off. Nothing crazy like running around in some podunk with a band of misfits that could put a circus to shame. Instead, Cid set out to grab his tools and fiddle with some of his designs, tweaking the prototypes and schematics as he went along.

Shucking off his gloves as he grabbed all of the materials that he needed, the blonde made himself comfortable on the floor of the engine room before working on his prototypes while he finished his cigarette. Every once in a while he would curse loudly because of a slight miscalculation that resulted in a finger pinched between small gears or a shock running through his hand. Finally having enough of his tinkering, the blonde started to pack up his tools when a figure peeked into the engine room, smiling slightly at the pilot in a very creepy manner.

"How are you feeling, Cid?" Cloud asked tentatively as he peered into the room, his awkward smile still on his face and giving the other blonde an anxious feeling.

"I'm doin' just fine, Spike," the pilot replied as he eyed the blonde swordsman carefully, making sure that the guy was not going to suddenly lunge for his throat or anything. The kid was already crazy enough, he did not need him acting even more suspicious than usual.

"That's good," the leader of Avalanche cooed. Frowning, the pilot crossed his arms in front of his chest. Now just why was the kid talking to him like he was the one about to jump into the deep end without any fucking floaties? He wasn't the one who was fucking off his rocker and smiling creepily at people! Hell, he would be the first to sign himself up for mental help if he decided to smile for no damn reason at all.

That would be the day. It would be all over the fucking news with Yuffie sobbing into a camera and clutching the resident spook to her like he was a giant stuffed bear, spouting "We never saw it coming; he just starting smiling! You heard me, Cid "Fuck-You" Highwind smiled! For no reason!"

He would end up in the loony bin faster than he could tell them all to fuck off.

"How you holdin' up, kid?" Cid asked, realizing that he was wound up in his own thoughts with his fellow blonde just stood there and stared at him...and smiled, of course. He was tempted to toss the miniaturized motor at the kid's face with a shout of "Think fast!" just to see what the chocobo-headed kid would do. With any luck it would wipe that disturbing smile off his usually blank face.

"Good. ...Did you enjoy your morning?" the shorter blonde ventured with trepidation. "No interruptions?"

"Now that ya mention it..." Cid teased, wondering if he should grab the kid and shake him until his spilled the beans, "nope. All was nice and quiet here."

"That's good," the shorter male replied, looking relieved as he smiled. Okay, that was enough of that shit.

"Where the fuck did everyone go?" the pilot asked suddenly, reveling in the nervous and surprised look on the blonde leader's face; the smile left his face as he stammered over his words.

"Oh, uhh...well, you see...umm..."

"Go on," the older blonde goaded as he held back a smirk. Finally, he had caught the little fucker and maybe he could get a damn straight answer from one of the fucking nutcases he was traveling with!

"...Vincent told us about last night..."

Blinking, Cid could feel his heart both stop and beat rapidly in his chest. Son of a bitch! The emo Goth actually told them all what he fucking nearly made him piss his pants? Not literally, of course. Cid Highwind did not piss himself for any reason! Excluding the whole was-once-an-infant-who-used-diapers thing. After he was potty-trained he never pissed himself! He was a manly man! Did the vampire not get the memo? Why the fuck did he tell everyone that he...

Wait...

Just what the fuck did he tell them all?

Surely he did not tell them that he was hanging upside down on the fucking ceiling like some overgrown bat in the engine room and watched him walk around the entire length of the room before looking up and spotting him. That would make him seem crazy; most people would turn on the light when they enter a room after dark unless they were trying to do something without waking up someone in the room. There was no way that the gunner would have thought that the pilot knew that he was in that room, let alone if he was trying to sleep. All he knew was that the pilot had walked into the engine room, wandered around the walls like an idiot, looked up, and fled from the room after the brunette had dropped from the ceiling and stared at him in uncomfortable silence while the blonde rambled.

Yeah, because that was not suspicious behavior at all. Normal people often stalked around rooms in the dark in their own airships.

He was so fucked.

"An' jus' what did the fucker say?" Cid grumbled as he swallowed the nervousness that had settled into the pit of his stomach, causing his nerves to run haywire.

"That you were upset and needed some time alone," Cloud offered as he shrug his shoulders slightly. "He, uhh..."

"He what?" the pilot snapped. Cid knew that there was something else that the swordsman was holding back. What did the shithead tell them? that he was crazy? That he was going to lose his mind and that they had better leave him alone before he snapped and killed them all in their sleep and that the only one who would possibly have a chance of surviving was Vincent because he was a creepy motherfucker that clung to ceilings in the dark and there was a chance that even with the help of his lance he would still be too fucking short to reach him?

...Wow, if that were not a sign for help, what was?

"He said that you were upset and looking pretty stressed out so you could really use a day off without any of us, especially Yuffie, bothering you. ...Am I bothering you?"

Casting a glance at the other blonde, Cid could tell that the leader of Avalanche was genuinely worried about having disturbed him. "Nah," the pilot said before waving his hand at the younger male. He was still grateful that the mako-enchanced man had stopped smiling at him when the chocobo-haired kid nodded before tossing a slight smile his way. God, that was a creepy fucking smile. "Go on, ya wouldn't want the loony fuckers to wander 'round without ya." The former-Soldier nodded before hurrying out of the room, leaving the pilot to finish putting away his tools, prototypes, and paperwork before thinking about what it was that the blonde had said to him.

Vincent had told everyone to leave him alone today. Huh.

Not necessarily a bad thing...but definitely not a good thing.

That meant that the elusive fucker had noticed that he was off his game. So fucking far off his game that he told everyone to leave him alone so he could relax. That had to mean that he was worried about his well being if he thought that the blonde was going to snap and was willing to go out of his way to make sure that he was content. ...Or, at the very least, was concerned about everyone else's well being and did not want to be the one to bury all of the bodies, contact local authorities, possibly end up dealing with the Turks, break out of ShinRa, Inc. once more, and then go off to finish the quest of saving the planet from Sephiroth alone. ...That seemed far more plausible.

Whistling to himself as he rose to his feet and walked out of the engine room, Cid thought of all of the things that he could do with his day off. Granted, he was still stuck in Yuffie's hometown, but there was a bar there and he was determined to ignore everything that could possibly go wrong. Thinking back to what happened the last time that he had stepped into the bar, ironically enough, he was accompanied by Vincent and Cloud, the blonde decided that he would be better off if he just stayed inside the Highwind if he wanted to get plastered. Not that he did; he knew that he would need a clear mind if he was going to figure out exactly how he was going to get the upper hand over the gunner.

...But how would he even possibly manage that?

It was not like the guy was an open book or easily predictable; the guy would probably hide in plain sight if it was not for the ridiculous outfit that he insisted upon wearing all the goddamn time. Honestly, one of the broads, with the exception of Yuffie, should take the poor fucker out and get him some decent threads. ...Then again, Tifa dressed in barely enough clothes to cover everything that needed to be covered; he was fairly certain that the brunette would rather not wander around in a pair of indecently sized shorts. The ninja brat would probably dress him up worse or annoy the poor guy into kissing the muzzle of his gun. Then again, there was the whole "pissing her the fuck off" thing that was going on between them both. Aeris...oh, the horror that she would unleash upon the clueless bastard. He would probably come back in something ridiculous. Hell, Spike had mentioned something about a purple, shimmery dress and tiara before and he was fairly certain that the pink-loving princess would not trade in her beloved pink for purple.

...But the ramifications of figuring out just what the fucker meant would scar him for life so he let it drop.

...Wait, where the fuck was he going with this?

Huffing at the doubt and confusion in his own thoughts, the blonde decided to make himself another cup of tea. Perhaps the warm liquid would help him come up with new ways to outsmart the fucker.

Unlikely, but it was certainly worth giving it a shot.

And if it failed? A shot of whiskey could not hurt.

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**Aeriths-Rain**: That he is!

**BasilMacVae**: Heh, short chapters are all I can manage; new ideas interrupt my writing processes. Ha!

**Inuobsessed004**: The hanging upside-down part?

**Me and My Friend Caffine**: Aww, thanks!

**ABNORMAL2110**: Uhh...no idea? Do I usually do that?

**Sir Shirkin**: Heh, that they would. All will soon be revealed!

**IForgotIT247**: Heh, no problem. Aww, that you will but it is up now. Ha, never even though of that!

**ZionCelestia**: It is. Here you go.


	16. Chapter 16

Title: Stalking Follies

Summary: Cid just wanted to find out more about the silent man that stalked the halls of the Highwind. It was not his fault that the vampire would not give up the information willingly...

Warnings: Drinking, smoking, swearing, drug use, eventual yaoi, etc...

Disclaimer: ...I die a little every time I have to say this: I do not own them.

* * *

><p>Walking back to the kitchen, the blonde whistled to himself in an attempt to kill the silence that the sound of his boots clacking against the metal flooring could not snuff out. He had to admit, it was pretty decent of the silent motherfucker to basically tell everyone to fuck off and leave him the fuck alone. Granted, it meant that his day would be a relatively quiet one. One that reached "pre-Shera" levels of quiet. Those were the fucking days...<p>

Making it back inside the kitchen, the blonde pilot quickly busied himself with making up another pot of tea, still whistling to himself as he did so. Settling the kettle of water onto the stove, the blonde adjusted the kettle before pausing when he saw a flash of black and red directly behind him. Spinning around on his heels, the pilot grit his teeth as found nothing standing behind him. Only one of the crazies that he traveled with wore red and black. And that silent psycho sure had a way of vanishing into thin air.

Narrowing his eyes as he stepped forward, the pilot looked around to see if the vampire was lurking in the hallway. Finding nothing, he chalked it up to his nerves before he waited for his kettle of water to reach a boil before steeping his tea. Looking up at the ceiling, Cid paused at the sight of the floor paneling. Thin lines were dug into the surface of the white material. He knew for a fact that the tiling was heavy as fuck all and that someone would have to be stronger than his work crew to move any one slab by themselves. Grinding his teeth, he grabbed a chair before dragging it underneath the tile and standing up onto the seat of the wooden furniture. The pilot reached up and placed his hands on the cold tile, frowning when he pressed the tips of his fingers to the grooves and found that they were a bit larger than his own.

Had someone moved the goddamn tiles?

He knew that the marks weren't there when he fucking built the Highwind; he made sure that every single aspect of his baby was up to code and passed his personal expectations. The slabs of tile used for the ceiling were no damn exception. Pushing up, the blonde grunted at the weight and the realization that the grooves moved in the direction of someone setting down the heavy slab. Grunting, the pilot balanced his entire weight onto one foot before bending awkwardly to hook his other foot underneath the table and drag it closer. Once the table was close enough, the pilot stepped onto it before lifting the slab up higher and peering inside of the dark space about the kitchen. Narrowing his eyes as he peered into the darkness, the blonde could make out the sight of wires that connected from the lights and disappeared into the darkness.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary as he turned his head to look all the way around him.

Surely stalking such an elusive mother fucker was fucking with his he-

Cid's thoughts cut off as he came face to face with a pair of red eyes. Letting out a decidedly unmanly shriek that he would never admit to, the blonde jerked back, momentarily forgetting that he was standing on a table and falling off of it. Crashing to the floor in a painful heap, and loudly knocking down the chair while the heavy slab crashed back into place, the blonde growled in pain. Lying still on the floor, making sure not to move, the pilot tried to assess any damage. Figuring out by the levels of pain that he had down little more than bruise himself, he gingerly sat up while his mind clicked and whirled around the sudden onslaught of information.

Vincent fucking Valentine was in his goddamn ceiling.

He had to have some-fucking-how managed to sneak into their silently after Cid had spotted him in the reflective surface of the kettle.

...At least know he had proof that the lanky guy was not a fucking vampire. Not that it was any condolence compared to the other fact that he had managed to figure out...

Not only was he stalking the goddamn vampire-wannabe but the emo was stalking him right back!

Part of him wanted to yell up at the guy who, hopefully, had scrambled the fuck out of the goddamn ceiling but he knew better. Not only would he look like a goddamn idiot, he would feel like it, too. But what could he possibly do? Confront the Gothic kid? It sure as hell seemed like the only logical solution. He would have to talk to the selectively mute gunner and make sure not to reveal that he was feeling paranoid because he was actually stalking said Gothic kid.

...Though, it did raise the question of why the fuck was the gunner actually stalking him in return. He had the feeling that he was not being stalked after he had started to stalk the vampire. ...Right?

There was no way that he would be able to think the exact same things that the whack-job of a sniper did so Cid had little other recourse than to think of what he would do if he were in the gunner's position.

The gunner had caught him walking around in the engine room in the dark and then had told everyone to basically fuck off and leave him alone for the day. Nothing was too out of place there. Hell, he would have thought that he was stressed as well and needed some alone time. But the whole, patching up his head after Yuffie tried to brain him, for some fucking thing that the gunner did that involved him, and then following him and hiding in the fucking space above the ceiling tiles after being spotted behind him? That part was actively fucking with his head.

He was pretty sure that the gunner would not have been acting so strangely if it were anyone else in the group acting a bit odd; hell, he fucking talked to them! The goddamn emo was acting like a fucking kid at a playground. All silent treatments to him but talking to everyone-fucking-one else about...well, hell, he was not sure what the guy spoke about. But back to what he was thinking about; he was acting like a kid! Ignoring him to his face but following him around and watching over him while hiding out of sight. Hell, it was almost like...

Blue eyes widened as the blonde scrambled to his feet. The kid had a fucking crush on him! Oh shit. What should he do about that? It was not like he could, or ever would, just walk up to the leather-wearing weirdo and hug the misguided stalker. That had the chance to not only give the twig the wrong idea, but anyone else who would be spying in on them. ...Damn, stalking someone was really making him paranoid. Not everyone was out to get him!

Except for his current stalker.

...Goddamn it.

"Hey, Val!" Cid called out, not caring how insane he looked for the time being. Hell, for all he knew, Cloud had already left and he was certain that no one else would dare enter the Highwind if the creepy and gaunt man told them to stay the fuck out. "Get the fuck outta the goddamn ceilin' an' get yer ass in here! I'm makin' tea an' yer fuckin' havin' some! Ain't takin' "no" as a damn answer, either!" Sure, he felt rather silly when no sounds came from above him, but there was only two ways of thinking about it. One: Vincent heard him and would do whatever the fuck he wanted; talking to the guy was like hearing cats; he was unpredictable. Two: The fucker could have scrambled the fuck out of the space as soon as he had fallen off of the damned table. Hell, it was not like he would have heard the gunner; he did not even hear the fucker get up there in the first place.

That posed a whole new myriad of questions.

How the fuck was the guy able to move so fast? How come when they were running for their goddamn lives all he could hear was Vincent's boots clacking loudly against the floor but once they are away from the fucking group, the gunner turned into a better ninja than the damned girl that was always spouting something about being a white flower? How was the guy able to lift the slab without jumping on the table? He sure as fuck wasn't that goddamn tall and there was no way in hell that a tile was misplaced without him noticing it right away. Granted, he missed the deep grooves right away, but that was at the other end of the "something is fucking wrong" spectrum!

Part of him hoped that Vincent had actually fled the goddamn ceiling like bats fleeing a bell tower that just had the bells ring in the middle of the night. ...And what the fuck was up with the damn ceilings? Was the guy trying to emulate a fucking vampire at all given times or was he just trying to give a big old "Fuck you!" to gravity? Either way, it was not doing any favors for the blonde's heart. ...Possibly his hair, too. All of those sudden surprises were going to give him a head of silver hair in a heartbeat!

...Heh, that was practically kind of like a pun.

Shit, one scare and his mind was scrambled worse than Spike's!

Huffing to himself, Cid began to push the table back into the right place, assuming that the gunner had missed his earlier explanation and that he had only looked like a fool in front of himself. Once the table was straightened out, the blonde pushed the chair closer to the table with the bottom of his boot, his blue eyes scanning the room for any slight change. Rolling his eyes and chastising himself for the slight dash of disappointment that he felt. It sure as fuck was not his fault that the vampire had the social tendencies of a fucking toddler!

Going back to making his tea, the pilot grumbled to himself as he steeped his tea before sitting down at the table. There had to be a way to confront the Goth without having to continue to stalk him. Hell, he was stalking a guy that was stalking him! ...Did that mean that he was stalking himself? Fuck, that is a vicious circle to get trapped in. Fixing himself a cup of tea, Cid sat down in the chair and leaned back in his seat, taking a sip of the hot liquid because he was not some sissy that needed to blow on previously boiling water, thank you very much. He would take the burns proudly. ...Even if there was no one around to see him blowing on it. He had already fallen off of a goddamn table like some stripper wearing heels on her first day dancing on tables.

...His pride could only take so much emasculation for one day.

Nearly jumping at the sight of black and red in his peripherals, the blonde breathed slowly to keep his composure while he heard the soft steps of the gunner coming closer to the table.

"Get yer own tea, I ain't yer goddamn waitress!" Cid snapped, feeling more off put than normal. Sipping as his tea, the spearman looked up from his cup to watch as the brunette stared down at him. "Well?" Without saying anything, the vampire stepped over to the kettle and poured himself a mug of tea before sitting down, the glass mug sitting in front of him as he stared at the blonde blankly. "Got anything ta say?" Getting no response, not even a blink, the blonde growled. "Fuck it! We need ta talk,ya emo!"

Hell, if the guy was not going to say anything, he would talk enough for the both of them!

...And he really hoped that the pasty motherfucker would not have that last sentence engraved on his tombstone.

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**Inuobsessed004**: ...I love that!

**ZionCelestia**: Heh, he really should. But people are way more complicated than mechanics.

**ABNORMAL2110**: That's because he's a perpetual downer.

**Aeriths-Rain**: Indeed! He's got a good heart...underneath all the creepiness.

**IForgotIT247**: Ha, he has no interest in Cloud; Cloud's too far off for his tastes. Here's more for you.

**Me and My Friend Caffine**: Heh, he's blonde.

**Whitika Oblivion**: Aww! Thank you very much!

**Sarikalina**: Aww, thanks! Nah, he's not that dumb (and if I didn't progress, it would just trundle on forever). You're welcome and thanks for reviewing.


	17. Chapter 17

Title: Stalking Follies

Summary: Cid just wanted to find out more about the silent man that stalked the halls of the Highwind. It was not his fault that the vampire would not give up the information willingly...

Warnings: Drinking, smoking, swearing, drug use, eventual yaoi, etc...

Disclaimer: ...I die a little every time I have to say this: I do not own them.

* * *

><p>"Yer fuckin' stalkin' me ain't ya?" Cid snapped, unable to control himself from jumping the gun. He probably should have at least waited a little bit to see whether or not that was a good thing to ask right off the bat but fuck it, he wanted some goddamn answers from the selectively mute motherfucker. "An' don't jus' sit there with that goddamn look on yer face; drink yer fuckin' tea an' answer me!" Dark red eyes stared calmly at the irate blonde, making the pilot huff in irritation before he took another sip of his tea. "Well?" He ground his teeth together when he saw the brunette's shoulders barely rise before lowering. "Don't ya fuckin' shrug at me! I want a goddamn answer!"<p>

"...You are peculiar."

"An' I- Wait, WHAT?" Cid bellowed, eyes widening. Was the fucker actually going to talk to him? And what the fuck did he mean by calling him peculiar? There was not a single, fucking thing wrong with him! Hell, he was talking to everyone else in the fucking group except for him and yet there he was, calling *him* peculiar? Where the fuck did this guy get off calling him odd when he was not the one dressed up like he was from some vampire bondage magazine for chicks who were heavily into kinky shit and pain.

"Peculiar," the brunette repeated as he looked blankly at the blonde over the tall rim of his cowl. Honestly, was there any damn chance that he could possibly get the dumbass to answer him without acting like a space case? It is not like he was asking the guy to look him in the eyes and unravel the secrets of the universe for him! Hell, he was not even trying to get the guy to look at the goddamn engine of the Highwind, memorize how every part works, and then test him on it. He just wanted simple fucking answers to simple fucking questions!

"Yer...YER callin' ME perculiar? Yeah, an' that makes me the fuckin' kettle yer callin black?" Cid snapped as he sipped his tea. It was rather amusing turn of events that in that statement he was being called a metaphoric kettle, what with all of his tea drinking. "Ya ever look in a goddamn mirror, ya spook?"

"...No."

"Yer fuckin' with me," the blonde sneered before pausing and looking the simple man up and down. "Holy shit, ya've never looked in a goddamn mirror?"

"It has been...quite some time," the leather-clad brunette responded as his eyes flicked to his tea before back up to the blonde. That sure as hell did not answer anything. Well, it probably answered the question of why the fuck the guy's hair looked snarled worse than a rat's nest in some spots. It did nothing to answer his question about why the fuck the guy was hiding in his damn ceiling, though.

"Yer a stalker!" Cid accused, his mind quickly thinking of how cheaters were quick to assume that they were being cheated on and making themselves into the victims even if they were the wrongdoers.

"...Former Turk."

"Woah, wait, ya worked with ShinRa?" Cid asked as he tried to think back of his time with the electric company. He had many run-ins with the Turks and often with Soldiers...he much preferred the Soldiers. Sure, they were strong as fuck all, but they were thicker than concrete and sure as hell did not have a single fucking clue what he was talking about whenever it came to technology. The scientists, however, were beyond all help; consumed with trying to find out if they could use his airships and rocket to further their twisted little goals. One of them was far worse than the rest of the glasses-wearing sociopaths, but he could never remember the name of the guy with a face only his mother could love. ...And she probably regretted ever giving birth to such a skeevy bastard. But even worse than the scientists and the Soldiers combined were the Turks.

Hell, every time he had to meet with them sons of bitches, it made his skin crawl. Their current leader was one cold fucker; he often just stared silently and unmoving, making the silence awkward and tempting Cid to bash his face into the nearest wall just to make him stop. Come to think about it, the brunette had quite a bit in common with the dark leader of the Turks. He was all serious and no-nonsense. Hell, they even looked to be about the same age and would probably look the same if the gunner would brush his goddamn hair, put on a stuffy-looking suit, and draw a dot in between his eyes with a damn Sharpie.

"...A long time ago," Vincent replied with a slight nod of his head. Leaning back in his chair as he crossed his arms, Cid continued to observe the optionally muted man.

"Did ya see Spike when he was in Soldier?" the blonde pressed on, wanting to know more. If there was one thing that he learned about the Turks while working on rockets, it was the fact that Reno, the loudmouthed slacker of the group, could hardly keep it in his damn pants and often looked over the newest recruits in the Soldier program to see which one he would take to bed that night if he could not pick up some drunk barfly.

"No."

Well, that was fucking helpful. Rolling his eyes, the blonde pressed on, "I ain't seen ya 'round the Turks when I was there, either."

"I would be surprised if you had," Vincent retorted dryly, making the pilot's eyes narrow. Just what the fuck was that supposed to mean?

"Okay, listen up and listen good, ya livin' Halloween decoration!" A slim eyebrow rose at the name calling, but no words were uttered by the brunette. "I want fuckin' answers from ya! What the fuck was that supposed ta mean, why were ya hidin' in my goddamn ceilin' when Spike said that ya told everyone ta keep away, an' why, for fuck's sake, are ya stalkin' me?" Silence met him as red eyes continued to stare blankly into blue eyes. Part of Cid felt bad for yelling at him and the silence was only making things far more awkward than it needed to be. Another part of him, though, raged at the thought of feeling sorry for having the slightest chance of damaging the kid's feelings. Hell, he had to learn that the world was a tough place that did not give a fuck about anyone and acting like he was missing a few screws was just going to make his life even more difficult!

The silence dragged on and Cid could feel his life dragging on and further on. Every second that passed awkwardly felt like an hour and it was beginning to thin his already slim patience.

Finally unable to take it anymore, the blonde pilot opened his mouth just to sneer when Vincent repeated himself from earlier in the conversation. "You are peculiar."

"So ya said!" the pilot snapped, unsure of how much more of this conversation he could handle before his mind would be unable to take anymore frustration and he would yell at the bastard to shut the fuck up and go back to being a sulking vampire. But his curiosity was a persistent whore and she demanded answers. "I ain't a goddamn colorful fish in a fuckin' tank fer ya ta stare at! Ain't no tappin' on the glass or throwin' shit in the water! I'm a goddamn human an' I wanna know what the fuck ya mean!"

"...I said that you were peculiar, not interesting, Chief," Vincent continued as if the blonde's tirade meant nothing special and that he was, in fact, discussing something as blasé as what kind of cloud in the distance would bring a storm with them. ...Or which teas go with sugar.

Cid had taken that moment to take a sip from his cup of tea, glowering at the pseudo-vampire for that comment. Now, he knew that his life could get pretty mundane even for someone who loved every aspect of machines. But saying that he was not interesting at all, just odd was definitely a fucking insult if he had ever heard one. "Then why the fuck are ya stalkin' me?"

"...I am a former Turk."

Honestly, was this fucker a broken record? Hell, he had gotten more information out of that damn stuffed moogle that was always running around and shrieking in that ridiculous accent through a megaphone. He had to be doing this on purpose; no one was that stupid, not even the ninja brat was that stupid! ...Granted, she did chuck his own tools at his head, but that made her crazy, not stupid. Well, a little stupid if he actually decided to give chase and beat the senses out of that bratty snot.

"Answer. My. Fuckin'. Questions!" Cid growled as he tightened his grip on his cup of tea, trying to keep himself from grasping the cup tight enough to shatter the delicate glass in his gloved hands. It was one of his favorite cups, albeit girly, and he did not know if he could even find a decent replacement glass.

"Be more specific."

All right, that fucking settled it. The guy knew what he was doing and was specifically doing it just to piss off the surly pilot. Looking at the former Turk's face, Cid could not see any telling signs that the vampire was the least bit pleased about yanking his chain but there was no doubt in his mind that that was exactly what he was doing.

"Why did ya hide in my goddamn ceiling?" the blonde hissed as he continued to watch the emotionless face for any changes. Well, the portions that he could see, anyway. Nothing seemed to change even as the brunette spoke. If he were more suspicious of people and less trusting, he would have bet that the guy had some sort of recorded voice on tape and would play the right messages whenever someone spoke to him. He knew it was a foolish thought; who the fuck would the gunner actually get to record simple answers to questions? Not only that, but the guy seemed to be behind the times when it came to simple technology; hell, even the gun that he was carrying when he first saw him looked like a dusty piece of shit from back in the day. He doubted that the stalking enigma would have been able to handle something technologically advanced with enough savvy to fluidly use it. ...But his face sure as fuck did not look like it was moving as he spoke, especially not from the angle he was seeing the fucker at.

"Reconnaissance," Vincent said succinctly, making Cid frown. What the fuck was that supposed to mean? Cloud wouldn't have sent him in to check on him, and even if he did, surely walking into the kitchen and asking him how the fuck he was doing have to have been better than leaping through the air and silently sneaking into the reserve above the ceiling without being noticed.

Then again, TALKING to him rather than acting like a damn kid would have been a lot simpler, too.

...He was beginning to get the feeling that nothing that this weirdo did was within the scope of simplicity.

"Reconnaissance..." the blonde repeated.

"Yes."

"And just what the fuck were ya lookin' fer in the ceilin'? I know for a fuckin' fact that there ain't nothin' up there that ya could possibly report back to whomever gave ya the idea ta stalk me! Even ya can't rationalize that, can ya?" the pilot retorted, grinning to himself as he thought that he had managed to catch the guy off guard.

"You were the one stalking me first," Vincent replied, swiftly evading the question and dumbfounding Cid at the same time.

"...Son of a bitch."

"...Indeed."

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**DragonOfRuby**: Aw, sorry I missed your review; I didn't get the e-mail until after I posted.

**Inuobsessed004**: You're very welcome! Sorry for the large gap in updates, but I'm back (until the end of March; I've got surgery on the 23rd and then no updates for the next week or so. But I will be back with updates!)

**madisonstvr**: Aww, thanks! Here's another one for you!

**DragonOfRuby**: Heh, here's another update.

**JiLLiBeanz**: Aw, thanks! Here's an update! (I'm trying to get back on track with updating.)

**ABNORMAL2110**: Heh, well, Vincent's nothing if not a quirky bastard.

**ZionCelestia**: Nope, I still breathe! Heh, it only took him...what chapter are we on?

**Aeriths-Rain**: Cid's just having a really tough time.

**Kyuubi-ismy-homie**: Uhh, probably not as soon as you would like, but kind of soon-ish...but not really.

**madisonstvr**: Heh, sorry for the wait!


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